History Has a Way of Repeating Itself
by JadeWolf2012
Summary: History repeats itself when Katniss and Peeta's daughter Rue gets reaped. But when Tess Prim's daughter volunteers the Mellarks become more determined to bring a tribute home. For this isn't just any tribute, it's their niece and their daughter's hero.
1. Character POV List

Throughout the story I will be switching between a few characters I have selected. The list for these characters is below.

Tributes:

District 2 Male: Slate Roberts 16

District 4 Male: Finn Black 16

District 7 Female: Rose Styles 18

District 8 Male: Crisis Evans 15

District 9 Male: Eric Walden 12

District 12 Female: Tess Hawthorne 15

Mentors:

District 1: Crystal Tesler winner of the 90th Hunger Games

District 4: Stephan Odiar winner of the 94th Hunger Games

District 5: Skylar Croft winner of the 82nd Hunger Games

District 12: Peeta & Katniss Mellark winners of the 74th Hunger Games


	2. Chapter 1 District 1 Reaping

District One Reaping

POV of Crystal Tesler: District 1 Mentor

I wake up to sunlight shining in through my bedroom window. I wake up and look at my calendar. Today is the day, the day I find out who my new tribute is. I only really mentor the girl so who cares who Nolan gets. The arrogant, ungrateful punk is only mine if the stupid bitch dies.

Last year we had two tribute that looked promising, but they were killed in their sleep once they got to the top 8. We told them to ditch then, but do they listen to us? No, and why would they? It's not like we were in the games or anything. Oh wait we won the fucking thing. Oh well. Hopefully this year we'll have someone that actually wants to win. I sure hope so.

As I roll out of bed and make my way to the shower I stop at my window and look outside. I see small children running around play fighting as their mothers shout for them to come inside and get ready. I can't help but smile at the sight of them hitting each other with wooden swords. Now, they might make promising tributes someday.

I continue to the bathroom where I proceed to take a shower. Oh how I don't miss the days where hot water was limited and water pressure was what seemed like a fast drip compared to this. When I'm done I step out and wrap a towel around myself. I know that it's faster to use the Capitol's gadgets but I like the way my hair looks when I let it air dry. I walk out of the bathroom still dripping a bit. I make my way over to my closet to find what I want to wear for today's reaping. Being a victor and mentor means I need to get there early. The only ones I know don't listen to that little rule is the morphlings from 6 a few years back and that alcoholic Haymitch from 12. But he makes for good ratings so I see why they don't force him to get there on time.

I finally pick out a navy blue pants suit and a pair of matching flats. I take off my towel. Dry my hair again slightly, which by now is only damp, and begin to get dressed. Once I am done I return to the bathroom to do my hair in a simple bun and put on small amounts of eye and lip make-up.

When I am finished, I walk downstairs for breakfast. After toasting a bagel, smothering it in cream cheese and putting a few slices of smoked salmon on it I head out of the kitchen through the living room and out the door. As I munch on my small, yet delicious breakfast I head over to Nolan's house. It's right next door so it's not much of a walk. I don't bother knocking and open the door.

"Hey Nolan you up?" I yell.

"In the kitchen! Sheen is here too." He paused. I start to walk into the kitchen. "You want some food?"

I step into the kitchen where I see the two of them sitting at the table eating eggs and bacon. "Nope I'm set with just this." I take a second look at their plates. "Well maybe I'll just take this." I say as I steal a strip of bacon off Sheen's plate. He glares at me and I just laugh.

"So you think we'll have any luck this year?" Nolan asks.

"We'll see." I stop to finish my bagel. "No get your asses up. We don't want to be late." Sheen groans and I smack him upside the head.

"You want to fight today bitch because I'm not afraid of you!" He yells glaring at me. Everything goes silent as we glare at each other, and then all three of us break out laughing. Me and Sheen have become friends over the years. He won a few years before me so he was my district partner's mentor. After I won and I moved into Victor's Village we saw a lot more of each other. Shortly after that his brother Nolan joined us. I help them put away the dishes and we head off for the Justice building.

Our district's escort and the district mayor are already there, and people are already starting to take their places in the square. Great, now we get to listen to Menix complain on how he expects so much more from victors. Blah, blah, blah, who the fuck cares.

Menix is a strange looking guy, with his silver face tattoos, turquoise skin and electric blue wig. This year he is wearing what looks to be some sort of blue animal print suit. Capitol fashion is always interesting to look at.

"You're late!" He yells. We all apologize and take our seats on the stage. As we watch the rest of the district file into the square I begin to get excited. I see some strong looking girls this year and I heard a rumor that the two planning on volunteering are pretty strong and for once respectful.

As the mayor goes on and on about the history of the Hunger Games and how it's our punishment for our ancestor's being idiots, I look over the crowd trying to guess who my volunteer is going to be I almost don't hear Menix say the trademark "May the odds beever in your favor!"

"Ladies first." He gives a bit of a giggle as he reaches into the bowl. "Our female tribute is Jade Ice!" He yells, but before the girl has a chance to step forward another girl yells.

"I volunteer." So it's her. Not bad, not bad at all. She rushes to the stage smiling, so excited she can barely breathe.

"And what's your name young lady?"

"Diamond Glitz." She says panting to catch her breath, still smiling. A few people cheer. Menix makes his way over to the male bowl and rummages through it for a bit before picking out a slip of paper.

"Samuel Chance!" A small 12 year old boy steps forward. You can tell he is waiting for someone to volunteer.

"I volunteer!" The young boy smiles as he steps back with his friends. No doubt he would have fought like a career if he had no other choice, but he needs the extra training. I bet he'll be in the gym tomorrow morning after this. I smile.

"And your name is?" Menix snaps me back into reality.

"Titanium Lipson." He stands proudly. I look over to Nolan and Sheen, and smile. They nod and smile back. We have a good chance this year, and I like that a lot.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, your district one tributes." Menix shouts, raising both of their hands in the air. The three of us walk off the stage just after the tributes are ushered into the Justice building for their goodbyes. Too bad it's the final goodbye for one of them. I think to myself. Let the games begin, and let district one have another victor.

**Don't worry it gets better from here. I wanted to have a traditional career character so that's why he's here. You'll get to know her better and the inner workings of her mind in later chapters. Please keep reading. Please review.**


	3. Chapter 2 District 2 Reaping

District 2 Reaping

POV of District 2 male Tribute Slate Roberts

As I sit on the edge of my bed thinking about what I am going to do today, I begin to wonder if I am doing the right thing. What am I thinking? Of course I am. People from 2 volunteer all the time, and most of them only do it for the glory of winning, or the excuse to kill. But me, I'm doing it for Paros and Carrara, my younger brother and sister. I need to get them away from our parents, or die trying. No I can't die. If I die then they will meet the same fate as Lime, our older sister.

"Slate! Hurry up and get ready! Breakfast is getting cold and the reaping will start soon!" My mother screams. She snaps me back into reality. I can't stand her. I button up my shirt and tuck it in. Before going downstairs I walk over to Paros' room and knock on the door.

"Hey bud. You doing alright in there?" I ask. He opens the door and nods. I laugh when I notice his shirt is buttoned wrong. "Hold still doof. You did it wrong." She looks down at the floor as I start to unbutton his shirt to fix it. He wraps his arms around me. I can feel tears on my shoulder. "What's wrong tough guy?" I lift his chin and smile at him.

"It's just. You're going to volunteer today, and well. What if you don't come home?" I know that this could happen. There are 23 other teens that all want to go home so the odds aren't in my favor.

"Well it looks like you're crying for nothing because I am going to come home. Now stand still so I can fix your shirt." I wink at him. He smiles, gives me one more hug and then stands still while I line his shirt up. "See the ends go together so if you button from the bottom you'll always get it right."

"Slate get your ass down here!" My father screams from the bottom of the stairs.

"You know what? Fuck off!" I yell back. He storms off into the kitchen murmuring something about how ungrateful I am. Yeah right. I have nothing to be grateful for. He pushed Lime to what ended up being her death and now to save Paros and Carrara from suffering the same fate. I finish fixing Paros' shirt and rub his head. "There you go. I think I might need to watch out. You might start taking all the girls from me." He laughs and runs past me, down the stairs and around the corner to the kitchen. I walk over to Carrara's room. Knock on the door.

"Come in." I open the door to see her twirling in her new dress. I worked my ass off to get them both some nice cloths. They deserve it. It made me smile to see her so happy. "Wow look at that beautiful girl." She giggles. "You almost ready?"

"Yeah." She giggles again. I can't help but smile.

"Well let's go then. Mom and Dad are getting mad." I smile at her, but her mood changes.

"They want you to hurry so they can watch you volunteer." She runs to me and wraps her little arms around my waist. "Please don't go. I'll miss you so much. I don't want you to die." She starts crying. Oh no not again. I can't stand it when they cry.

"I'll be home before you have a chance to miss me." I give her a hug, then pick her up and carry her downstairs. My dad just glares at me and a shoot him a glare right back. I'm not doing this to make them happy like they think I am. I could care less what they think. I can't wait to see the look on their faces when I tell them I'm taking Paros and Carrara to live with me in Victor's Village, but that they can't come and if they try to step foot in my house I'll call the peacekeepers.

I eat a slice of bread smeared with cheese. Once I'm done I leave the house and walk to the square. I have someone I want to talk to before I do this. The crowd is growing larger, but I find her right outside the entrance. Jade Feldman, my only other reason for making it back home. When our eyes meet I can see she's been crying.

"Oh no not you too." I joke with her. She doesn't find it very funny and starts crying again. "Baby it was a joke. Please calm down. It's going to be alright I promise. I'll come home and then you can live with me and my siblings in my new house."

"What if you don't come home? Only 1 out of 24 leaves that place alive." She starts to sob. "I don't want you to go. I'll never forgive you if you die." I run my fingers through her hair, holding her tight. I feel guilty doing this to the 3 of them, but it's all for them. If I don't do this then I can't protect them.

"Listen to me. I was going to do this when I came home, but I think now is the right moment." I get down on my knees, grab her hand and look deep into her beautiful eyes. "Jade I love you more than anything in this or any world. I can't begin to imagine my life without you by my side. Please make me the happiest man alive and be my bride when I win?" She begins to cry again. "What did I do wrong now?" She smiles at me.

"Nothing you dummy. Yes I'll marry you." I place the ring on her finger, stand up, pick her up and spin her around. "Now you better come home."

"There isn't anywhere else I'd rather be. We walk into the square, prick our fingers and register for the games. We take our spots and before we know it the mayor is blabbing on about how the Hunger Games began. Soon District 2's escort steps forward. Beatrice Higginz. Definitely a funny looking person, if you can even call her a person. She has gems studded all over her and canary yellow skin. Her wig is bright orange and she has ridiculous amounts of eye make-up in various colors. She goes on about how much of an honor it's going to be, to be a part of the games and how exciting this year is going to be.

"Enough talk; let's find out who our lucky tributes are. Oh I just can't wait." She walks over to the bowl filled with the girl's names. She reaches in a fumbles around a bit. "Jade Feldman." Oh no. This can't be happening to me. She can't go into the games. I can't kill her.

"I volunteer as tribute!" I hear someone scream. Thank god. I see Jade run back to her spot bawling. I know she was thinking what I was thinking. But now she is safe. And I owe whoever volunteered some sort of loyalty in the beginning. The girl walks onto the stage. She is beautiful, and she looks strong. She's going to be tough to beat near the end, but I owe her. She just saved my world.

"What is your name?" Beatrice asks.

"Onyx Fields." She smiles out to the crowd. Beatrice claps and the walks over to the guys bowl. The moment of truth. I can't back out now.

"Dante Stone."

Before the guy has a chance to move I hear myself yell. "I volunteer as tribute!" The second the words escape my mouth I hear Paros, Carrara and Jade break down. It's too late now. I've said it. Everyone heard me, so now I have to go. Jade runs out into the walkway and grabs my hand.

"No! You can't go! You can't take him!" She screams. The peacekeepers start to move forward, but I push them away.

"Don't touch her! She's scared okay! Just let me calm her down." I start to calm down. "Please." Tears fill my eyes and the peacekeepers back off. I pull Jade close to me and just hold her. I whisper to her softly. "It will be okay baby, I'll be back. I promise you that. I'll come home to you and we'll get married. But I have to go." I feel tears run down my cheeks. She feels them hit the top of her head and looks up at me. "I wish I didn't volunteer now. Seeing how much it's hurting you. But now that I have I have to go. You understand don't you?" She nods. I kiss her gently. One of her friends comes up behind her grabs her hand and they walk back into the crowd. I turn around and continue to walk up the stage.

"Well wasn't that exciting?" Beatrice squeals. The people of the Capitol are so strange. Me and Onyx are ushered into the Justice building. I am put into a large room and left to wait. My family comes in first. Both my parents are smiling, but Paros and Carrara are bawling. It breaks my heart seeing them like this. I run to them and hold them close. I start to cry and whisper I'm sorry over and over again.

My mom puts her hand on my shoulder. "We love you, and we are so proud of you." I shrug her off.

I just sit there and hold two of the three people I feel like I'm betraying. The peacekeeper opens the door and asks them to leave. I give Paros and Carrara a kiss on the forehead each. I cry as our good for nothing parents pry them off me as they cry.

Next in is Jade. She runs at me and I open my arms. I pull her close into my chest and cry. "I am so sorry that I am putting you through this Jade." I sob. "I never wanted to hurt you. I will come home. I promise." I look down at her, lift up her chin and kiss her as passionately as I can. We've never kissed like this before, but it feels good. I just regret not knowing if this will be our first and last. "I love you Jade."

"I love you too Slate." She pauses and tries to calm down. She takes off her rind and puts it on a necklace, and hands it back to me. "Now you better come back to me, because I want this back." I start to cry. I can't take it. I open up her hand and place the ring in the palm of her hand. She looks up at me.

"We both know I might not make it back and if I don't I want to make sure you have something that reminds you of how much you mean to me. So please keep it." She nods. Takes it off the necklace, puts it back on her finger and puts the necklace on me.

"And I want you to have that for the same reason." We get in one more kiss before the peacekeeper opens the door again. "I love you."

"I love you too." The second the door closes I drop to my knees and cry. What did I get myself into?

**Two reapings down, 6 more to go. Hope you like it. Review please.**


	4. Chapter 3 District 4 Reaping

**Note I do not own the Hunger Games or a portion of these characters. **

District 4 Reaping

POV of District 4 Male Mentor Stephan Odiar

I open my window to let in the soft, salty ocean breeze. Today is the day of the reaping. It starts to bring back memories of last year.

_*Flashback Begins*_

"_Please don't. Don't kill me." The 13 year old girl from 8 sobs as I stand over her with a trident in one hand and a short sword in the other. My vision begins to blur as my eyes start filling with tears. I don't want to hurt her. I really don't. But in order for me to go back home to my parents I have to. I have no other way. She lets out a scream as I trust my sword into her chest._

"_I'm sorry." I whisper to her as I watch the life slip from her and her body grow still. "I really am sorry." Tears drop onto her face as I kneel down next to her. I close her eyes, kiss her forehead and walk away. _

_*End of Flashback*_

I shake my head trying to erase the memories from my mind. It's bad enough I can barely sleep at night. Dad said it will get better with time, but I know that's not true. Mom never got better, not completely. She still has night terrors, she still has flashbacks, and dad still needs to hold her close and whisper in her ear until she snaps back into reality.

I showered last night so I don't really want to shower now. All I want to do is crawl back into bed and skip over this day, the next few months, the rest of the games. But I know I can't. I'm the lifeline to, two very unlucky teens.

I wonder over to my closet and throw on an undershirt and a new pair of boxers when I my front door open.

"Stephan, are you up?" Finnick yelled up the stairs. I think about what it must have been like last year. Watching his only son, be thrown into the games that turned his love into the mess she is now and turned him into a murderer.

"Yeah Dad, I'm up here. Just trying to pick out the right monkey suit to show off on national television, as we pick two teens to send to their death." I hear him chuckle at my open discontent of the games. But I'm not the typical career. I hate the game, always have. No one really blames me, after all I am the son of the most damaged victor of all and the Capitol's personal sex toy. The only reason I'm not like him is because I turned 16 right after I won, which makes me under aged. Not to mention my "Aunts and Uncles" a.k.a. the other victors. There was a rule change before I was born allowing the public figures known to the nation as the victors to travel to the other districts. It's another ploy to prove the mercy of our, oh so loving government. Allowing the victors to visit graves, family members and businesses of the people they killed. Well that also includes them visiting other victors.

I found out (through ease dropping) that my father is not the only victor exploited for capitol profit and enjoyment. My aunts Katniss and Johanna are pimped out much like my father is. Haymitch's "stage accidents" are played over and over as if he was some sort of clown. Beetee and Wiress are used to create Mutts, traps and gadgets to torture and kill future tributes. The more I learn about the Capitol the more I hate them, the more I hate that I let them turn me into a piece in their games. As I turn around I see my father standing in the door.

"Your first year as a mentor." He paused, looked down to the floor and then back at me. "It's going to be tough, but you're not alone." He walks across the room, grabs a pair of dress slacks and a matching coat. "Put these on. Your mother loves this color."

I start to get dressed. "Dad, how did you do it? How did you watch as people you knew, people you trained die? And not just die, they were brutally murdered. The ones that survived only did so by killing others. I hated being a part of the games and now I have to be around a bunch of Capitol people cheering at murder." I put on my jacket and look in the mirror.

"I know how you feel. I was the same way." He pats me on the shoulder. "You look nice." With that we walk down the stairs and out the door.

POV of Finn Black

As I lay in the room I share with my sisters and mother I watch Felicity (my youngest sister) sleep peacefully. She's still too young to really understand what the Hunger Games really are, and thankfully she's too young to be reaped. Unfortunately Angel is. Last year was her first reaping and she was terrified. I made her last year to never, under any circumstance sign up for the tesserae. I have been since I was 12, and now at 16 I don't try to remember how many times my name is in there. It makes me more nervous, and something I've noticed is the people that worry about it get reaped.

I'm not scared for myself, never have been, because I know that I would win. I would do whatever it takes to come home and take care of my mom and sisters. What I'm scared of is Angel or Felicity getting reaped or me getting reaped and dying, and no one being around to care for them anymore. Either way if Angel gets reaped (I'll be too old when Felicity is old enough) I will volunteer to protect her. I will sacrifice myself to bring her home. I'm pretty close with one of the Stephan Odiar (last year's victor) so if that ever happens, he'll watch over them.

I hear mom walk in. "Oh you're up." She paused. "You need to get dressed, people are already running past our house."She walks out with her head hung low. I know she's thinking about how many times my name is in. It bothers her, but we need the food. We do okay with meat since I fish in some of the back streams, where the peacekeepers can't see me. If I ever got caught I could be killed for "stealing" from the Capitol, but I gladly risk my life to bring my family something to eat. I trade some of my fish for poached meat and other goods whenever I can. It's dangerous though, because you never know who's gotten caught, and is going to rat you out for a lesser punishment.

I get up walk over to the small trunk I use for my cloths and grab my reaping cloths. When I put on my pants I realize that these aren't going to fit me next year. I guess I've grown more than I thought I had. I walk out of the room when my mom sighs and walks over to me.

"That's not going to do, we may not have much, but you need to look nice." She looks through her coin purse. "Oh wait the shops are closed until after the reaping." She scratches her head for a moment and walks back into our room. She comes out with one of my Dad's old suits. She hands it to me and I try to push it back to her. "I'm your mother and I want you to take it. I will not have you looking a mess in from to the district. What would people say?" She stares me down and I see she's not about to take a no for an answer. So I reluctantly take it and return to the room the change. When I finally come out she smiles. "You look so much like your father." She sniffles. I walk over to her and hug her.

"It's all going to be fine mom. I promise." It's been tough on her since Dad died. It took her a while to return to herself, but once she did she became as determined as I am to bring the girls up right. I hear the scamper of small feet and release mom. I turn around to see Felicity standing there smiling. She's so darn cute. If I get reaped, this moment right here is what will help me get home.

POV of Stephan Odiar

As I sit on the stage with the rest of the victors instead of chatting, I watched the entrance to the square. I remember waiting in those lines, wondering if I was going to have to fight for my life. Well last year my worse fear became reality.

_*Flashback Begins*_

"_I hate this. The wait is the worse part." I complained to my friend Leon._

"_I know how you feel dude. But at least you don't have to worry about increasing your odds. Your family is set for food since both your parents are victors. Because of the tessera I have my name in there more times than I care to remember. All I know is the odds are not in my favor." He replied with a shaky voice. I placed my hand on his shoulder. I can feel him trembling._

"_You'll be fine. You have older brothers. They'd volunteer for you if it comes down to it." He nodded. As we finished a girl was standing on the stage bawling and our escort Creama Kio was walking over to the guy's names. I tightened my grip on Leon's shoulder as she said my name. My legs felt weak and my stomach did flips. How could this be happening?_

_*End of Flashback*_

I snap out of my flashback when my mother put her hand on my shoulder. I missed something but I'm not sure what, and that's when I see her, Angel Black making her way to the stage. No, oh god, please no. This can't be happening. She is the 13 year old younger sister to a friend of mine. I didn't think this could possibly get worse until I hear him.

POV of Finn Black

"I volunteer as tribute!" I scream right after the name of some other boy is called. I didn't even hear who it was because I was so focused on volunteering. I hear my mom cry out in pain. Not physical pain, but the kind of pain she felt when she found out dad was swept off to sea. "I'm so sorry mother." I whisper to myself. "But I will make sure Angel get's home safely."

As I walk up the stairs Creama Kio asks me my name. "Finn Black."

"Are you related to our other tribute?"

"Yes. I am her older brother." Creama looks like she is about to burst in excitement the second the words pass through my lips.

"This is so exciting. Siblings in the games. This year is going to be one to remember." She paused. "Ladies and gentlemen your district 4 tributes!" She yells raising our hands. We are ushered into the Justice Building and a small sitting room. Our first visitors are our mother and Felicity. I can see that mom has just recently stopped crying, but Felicity just started. Mom must have told her that we might not come home. She runs over to Angel and hugs her.

"Sissy are you coming home?" Angel and mom start tearing up.

"She's coming home kiddo I'll make sure of it." She smiles. Angel shoots me a look both thanking me and hating me for what I am going to do. She knows I'm going to make sure she makes it as far as she can, and if it comes down to the 2 of us I will take my own life so she doesn't have to live with the guilt of my death. This was all my choice so I don't want her to feel responsible. Mom pulls me and Angel close to her and hugs us for a minute. Then she pulls off her wedding band and puts it on a chain. She wraps her arms around Angel's neck, claps the necklace shut and Kisses her forehead. Angel starts crying.

"I can't take this mom. I just can't" But instead of taking it off she cries even harder and lunges for mom. Then mom reaches in her pocket for another chain and another ring. She puts the ring on the chain and hands it to me.

"What's this?" I asked

"Your father's wedding ring."

"But they never found his body." I started to tear up.

"Before he'd go out on the boat he would take it off so that no matter what I would always have this piece of him." She said as calmly as she could. When the peacekeeper came in she began to sob. She gave us each a hug and kiss, and Felicity did the same. Then they left. But our next guest I didn't expect.

POV of Stephan Odiar

"Are you fucking stupid?" I scream at Finn. "I get you want to protect Angel, but don't you think I would have made sure she got most the sponsors and the best gifts. I would have worked my ass off to keep her alive. But now one of you has to die!"

"I know, but she's my sister, and you can still do all that. Take care of her. Only help me so I can help her. She's coming home alive." Damn! Right now I hate him, but I get why he did it. Now I have to watch one of my close friends die, and on top of that I have to keep calm so I can bring his sister home or he died for nothing. I run up to him and hug him. This will be the last time I see him as my friend, because in a few minutes he'll be my student and I'll have to distance myself. If I don't I won't be able to handle his death, and knowing there was nothing I could do to save him. The peacemaker comes in to let me know my time is up. I nod to him and he closes the door.

"See you in a bit. I'm going to warn you now that the whole train ride is going to be strategy. No buddy, buddy stuff. If you don't do what I say then I won't help you. Understand?" They both nod. "Good." With that I walk out the door and down a hallway leading to the back of the building. I exit and get right into a car with my fellow 2 mentors. As we ride to the station I explain the plan on how no matter what we keep Angel alive.

**Please review. Next chapter will be coming soon.**


	5. Chapter 4 District 5 Reaping

District 5 Reaping

POV of Female Mentor Skylar Croft

I hate today. I always have. I have watched friends die on television and in front on my own eyes; families destroyed and unfortunately the joy on the faces of Capitol people after the brutal murder of children. Those people are sick, sick, twisted people that don't understand the damage they are doing. This is supposed to keep us from revolting again, well if you ask me it's pushing us to it. Fathers, watching their children kill and be killed, sibling hoping to see the faces of their brother/sister again, even if it means watching the reruns of the games that killed them. How has this lasted for almost 100 years? A rebellion almost started when Katniss and Peeta both made it out alive. In every district there were people furious that they allowed two victors while they watched loved ones parish.

I swallow my discontent and wander to my closet. As I look through my cloths I see my old reaping dress. I half smile, half cry. It reminds me of a time before I had to endure the smiling faces of monsters, the congratulations for how well I played the games, but in my mind all I hear is you did so well killing those other helpless teens. I take it off its hook and just hold it to my body. I remember when I got it and how excited I was to show it off to my friends at the reaping, but then my name was drawn. That day I didn't just get a pretty new dress, my life changed, I became a murderer.

I lay the dress on my bed with plans of putting it away at some point before I leave. I return to my closet to find something presentable for today's events. Its bad enough they turned me into a monster just like them, but now I need to turn innocent teens into killing machines or watch them get killed themselves. I finally pick out a knee length, slim fitting navy blue dress. I throw on some black shoes, look at my old reaping dress one more time and put it away. I don't care to put on make-up or do my hair. Why bother? I'm just going to be sitting in a chair listen to the mayor do the same speech about the Dark Days, our same escort getting excited and two poor teens sent to their death. Then off to the train for the long train ride to the Capitol.

I walk off to the square to meet the other victors and try to have some casual conversation before the horror starts again. The walk is short and I see the crowd is already building. Mother and fathers reassuring young children that their siblings will be home tonight, but for two unlucky families (in some disturbing cases only one), those words are not true. Instead of celebration windows and doors will be locked tight, lights will be off and supper will be heartbreaking. Right now may very well be the last time they see their child alive in person again.

I see the other victors on the stage. I walk up the stairs and jump on my fellow mentor Kelven Quintun. "Hey handsome you got any plans for tonight?" I laugh. He swings me around.

"Well I'm kind of stuck with these two bitchy girls and a few terrified kids." He says with a wink. I look at Trinity and she looks back at me. We both smile and simultaneously smack him on the back of the head. We both break out in laughter. "Geez I was kidding you know." He says smiling at us.

"We know, but if you can harass us, we can harass you." Trin said. These two are what keep me sane. We've been a team since she knocked me into the alternate spot. I don't mind really, only one more victor to send me into retirement. "So you guys ready for the next month or so?"

"I guess." I reply

"As ready as I was last year." Kel says. I know the feeling. It gets better and worse with time. You get used to seeing death and distancing yourself from the tributes, but the longer you're a mentor means more tributes died. It's sort of a lose, lose situation. As the crowd grows larger, it becomes harder to hear ourselves think let alone speak. Before we know it the ceremony has started.

"I know most of you have heard this before, but before we proceed I need to remind you all why we have the Hunger Games." The mayor starts to go on about the Dark Days, the rebellion and how District 13 was destroyed as a warning to the rest of us. After a long tedious speech our escort Plyas Ventrex takes center stage.

"Wasn't that a lovely story?" She is beaming with excitement. "Shall we begin with the ladies?" She starts to walk over to the bowl with the names of all the girls ages 12-18 in our district. Poor girls, I know the fear. I really feel for them, even though I know it makes it harder on me in the long run. She plunges her hand into the slips and moves her hand around a bit. This is the part I hated most. Knowing that the more she moved the greater my chances got. "And our lucky lady is." She unfolds the paper. "Carmen Stanhope." She pauses as the girl steps out of the 13 year old section. She looks terrified, but then another girl steps forward.

Ever so calmly she speaks out. "I volunteer. I volunteer as tribute." Wow, you only see that kind of domineer in a career district. I am going to make sure her fighting spirit doesn't die and she might just stand a chance. The other girl runs to her, hugs her and runs back into the crowd to her friends. Her family is going to be celebrating tonight. Their daughter has another year of life, and with any luck she'll have many more. As the volunteer reaches the stage all eyes are on her. I wonder how her family is taking this.

"And what is your name brave young lady?" Plyas asks.

"Electra Cellis, and I am going to win the Hunger Games!" She yells into the crowd.

"Confident. I like it!" Plyas squeals. "Now let's see who will be joining you." She walks over to the guys bowl and pulls out another tiny slip of paper. "And our male tribute is." She pauses as she opens the paper. "Carter Zelz!" A young boy walks into the isle looking cold. Either he is terrified or he really could care less. Either way I think we might have a chance this year. I look to my teammates and smile. They smile back, well at least I'm not the only one that's hopeful.


	6. Chapter 5 District 7 Reaping

District 7 Reaping

POV of Rose Styles

"Dad I've made up my mind." I say

"Please Rose, don't do this to me. I can't watch you die. I lost your mother I can't lose you too." He sobbed. I really felt bad for this, but I had to do it. If I don't we'll all starve. "I'll find another job, I'll find a way to fix this."

"Dad I need to do this. I can't sit around and watch everyone I love slowly starve. I need to do something about it and this is what I can do. The tesserae worked for a while, but now that Maple is getting bigger we need something more. If I win the district gets prizes too so I'm helping everyone. I'm strong enough dad. I can do this. I have a better chance than anyone else." He didn't say anything else; he just got up and walked out of my room. I wish there was another way, I really do, but there is no other option. We might not make it another year. I have to make my move now.

I slide my orange plaid dress over my head and asked my little sister Maple zip up the back. I slipped on my white shoes and then walked up to the mirror. I gave myself a twirl and smiled.

"You look pretty." Maple said with a smile.

"Thank you sweety." I turn back to her. "Now let's get you dressed." I grabbed one of the dresses that has been passed from me, to Lily, and now to Maple. It's pale green with lace on the bottom. I pulled it up her body and buttoned up the back. "You look like a princess." I smiled, and she giggled. Lily walks up behind her. She has been sick lately and right now it's obvious. She looks skinnier than she usually is (and believe me that's skinny), her skin is almost paper white and her eyes had a clouded gaze over them. It scares me, but I force a smile.

"How do I look?" She asks coughing. She smiles. I know she's scared today. Not like the other reapings though. This year she knows she's not going into the games. So why does she look terrified? It must be for me. I reach over and hug her. I feel a few tears soak through the shoulder of my dress.

"You look beautiful." I say pretending not to feel her tears. She's a strong person and hates to cry. Jace runs through the house wearing nice cloths. He may be older than maple, but his mind is like one of a 5 year old. I pray every year that he doesn't get reaped. So far it's worked. If his name ever gets drawn I hope someone volunteers. Most the district knows how he is, and I only hope they will be kind to us.

I hear the front door open. "Is anyone still home?" I hear Cedar's voice ring through the house.

"Yeah, we're just about to leave." Dad replies from upstairs. I hear footsteps coming down the hallway.

"Are you still going to ruin your life and break Dad's heart?" Cedar asks me with a glare. I know he hates me right now, but it's because he's worried I'll end up like most of the tributes from 7. Dead.

"You know why I have to do this. You thought the same thing when you were my age."

"Yeah, but when I saw how much it was hurting you all I didn't. It wasn't an easy decision, but I made the smart choice."

"No you took the easy way out!" I see his face fill with rage. The next thing you her is a loud smack echo through the large room. Tear well up in my eyes. I can't believe he hit me. I look at him and see that he regrets what he did.

"Rose…" I don't let him finish. I run out the door and head straight for the square. As I run I pass through crowds of people, families, and friends, everyone I've ever known. I feel warm tears streaming down my face. They sting as they hit my cheek. It's throbbing, red hot and I can feel it swelling. Great now I'm going to walk up on that stage and the whole nation is going to see me bruised and beaten before the games even start.

I stand in one of the lines for girls to register. I remember my first reaping and how scared I was. Not for the chance of being sent into the games, but for the little prick on my finger. I can't believe I was ever that naive. When I get to the front I extend my arm to the peacekeeper in front of me. I barely feel it. She smears my blood onto a piece of paper, next to my name and a barcode. I walk out of the line and to the back of a group of girls.

I wait patiently for the reaping to begin. I feel a pair of little arms wrap around me. I turn to see Maple and Lily standing behind me. They both have been crying.

"I love you Rosie." Maple manages to choke out. I kneel down and she kisses my cheek. I grasp her face in both my hands, and kiss her forehead.

"I love you too May. I'll be home soon." I begin to cry again. Maple runs off to find Dad and Cedar. Lily just looks at me. "I'm so sorry Lil. But I'll be home soon, and we'll live in a new house and we'll have plenty of food." She lunges for me and wraps her arm around my waist.

"Promise me you'll come home. I can't take care of us like you have. You need to come home, because Dad will be worse if you die and I don't know how to tell Maple and Jace you're never coming home. Please Rose." She sobs. "Please." I hold her close and let her cry, only pulling her away to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"It's going to start soon. Go find your friends. You need a distraction." I kiss he forehead. "Be strong." I watch her run to the 14 year old section. I begin to wonder if after today I'll ever see her again. I want to see her get better, but if I don't go she never will. I need to do this. For Lil, May and Jace. I can't sit back and watch them wither away into nothing.

The mayor takes the stage and drones on about the history of the games. Fiovlious Lenten takes the stage and thanks the mayor for his lovely speech. "Ladies first!" He squeaks, walking over to the pedestal that hold the tiny slips of paper that spells out a person's doom in such a personal way. He announces a name and a mother screams. This will make her feel better.

"I volunteer as tribute!" I scream. No going back now. I hear my brother and father curse, and the girls start crying.

"No! Take me instead!" I hear Lily scream, but it's too late. Once someone volunteers no one else's voice is listened to. She runs out into the isle and grabs me. The peacekeepers come a pull her off of me. I start to tear up, but I refuse to let Panem see that. I walk onto the stage and shakes Fiovlious' hand.

"What is your name miss?"

"Rose. Rose Styles."

"This district doesn't get many volunteers. Do you mind my asking you why?"

"Because I'm tired of watching my family starve. I will win the games and save my younger siblings. Nothing can stop me. Not even the careers." A few people clap, other look at me with thanks in their eyes. I nod to the crowd.

"Well isn't this exciting! Let's see who your district partner is Ms. Styles." He reaches in a pulls out a tiny slip of folded paper. It's hard to believe something so small costs someone so much.

"Elm Palis!" Oh no not him. He's friends with Lily. Damn it now I have to help him. He's only 14. His face is covered in tears as he walk onto the stage. "Any volunteers?" The world seems to have frozen. Not even wind blows. Poor kid. "Well there we have it. District 7 here are your tributes." He yells raising our hands over his head. We are hurried into the Justice Building and into separate rooms. The thought of this being Elm's last goodbyes. I try to remove the thought from my mind. I can't let myself feel bad for him.

My family enters my room. Cedar and Dad look pissed at me, but I can see depression sneaking up on them. Cedar approaches me first. "I'm sorry for hitting you this morning. I feel horrible." He pauses and pulls me close. "I just don't want to watch another person I love die." He starts to cry. I hug him back and begin to cry to. He not only lost Mom, but he also lost his fiancé 2 years ago to the very games that I just signed up for. No wonder he got so angry at me.

"I'm so sorry Cedar. I love you so much." The girls run up to me and hug me. I feel bad for putting them through the worry and the pain. But it's all for them and I hope they see that.

Dad walks over to me, and hands me a small box. I look at him. "Your mother would want you to have these." He sits down next to me and places his hand on my knee. I open it to see a pair of earrings my mother wore on special occasions. I start to cry. I wrap my arms around my father's neck and sobbed. I let him go and walk over to Jace.

"Hey Jace you need to listen to me." He looks at me so innocently. "Sissy is going to be gone for a little while, but I'll be back home soon. Can you be good for Daddy and Cedar for me?" He nodded. "That's my boy." I smile rubbing the top of his head. I turn to Maple. "That goes for you to missy. You need to help around the house." She nods and tries not to cry. She gives me one last hug and lets me go to Lily. "Rest. Work on getting better okay. No stressing yourself." She reluctantly agrees. Next I walk to Dad again. "Look at me. No drinking when until I get home. If I die don't even think about touching the bottle. I'm trusting you." He looks down to the floor. "Cedar take care of them." He nods. The peacekeeper tells them it's time to leave and soon I'm on the train, saying goodbye to the life I once knew. Because if I make it home, I won't be able to say I'm the same Rose that left.


	7. Chapter 6 District 8 Reaping

District 8 Reaping

POV of Crisis Evans

All I hear is screaming, crying and laughing, although that's normal here. When you cram a hundred or so children, from a few months to 17 years old, it tends to get load. Supposidly the Capitol is going to pay for us to build another building so the district can house more orphans and so the facility isn't over crowded.

My room is a giant room with 20-30 bunk beds lining the walls. Each child has a trunk. Bottom bunk kids put theirs under their bed and top bunks have it on the end of the bed. Flickering lights and creaking fans set the mood. From 4-17 you're in the "big kid's room" which is where the majority of us stay. The girl's have a room identical to our. Then there's the nursery. Screaming babies and bawling toddlers, it's almost as insane as the boy's room.

Today is the worst though. The reaping has everyone on edge, mostly the 12 year olds. The older siblings trying to comfort them, telling them that their names are barely in there so the odds are in their favor. Since we're in a district facility if we apply for a tesserae instead of it being everyone in the household, it's only immediate family that is currently living in the facility. So for me my chances don't really go up by much. I've been alone for as long as I can remember so when I signed up for the tessera it only increased my food portion.

I don't care if I'm reaped. My life is shit anyway. I have aunts and uncles that turned me down. They said they couldn't handle raising another child, at least that's what I've been told. So I've been on my own. Occasionally foster families are assigned children, and I go to a family. They end up sending me back after a month or so. Others get adopted, but I'm not what you would call a desirable child. I'm average looking, kind of a loner and I don't have much of a personality. I'm smart though. I read every chance I can get. One of the care takers here buys them for me. My trunk is filled mostly with book and I have books in piles under my bed. I picked a bottom bunk so I can put my stuff away. Conceal it. I know that it's an illusion of privacy, but ignorance is bliss isn't it?

"Alright everyone, we need to start leaving now." One of the care takers yelled into the room. They walked away and I could hear them say it again across the hall. The nursery doesn't need to go, too many babies/toddlers, not enough workers to hold them.

I slip on my shoes and walk towards the door. Then I see the only friend I really have. She's been here as long as I have. Well I think. It's Tabitha Benet. She's my best friend. "Tabi!" I yell running to catch up with her.

"Hey Crisis. You nervous?" She asks grabbing my hand. She's really scared.

"No. If I get reaped I'll fight for my life and try to come home. If I die, you're the only one that will miss me." She looked shocked as tear filled her eyes.

"You won't be reaped. Your name is only in there 16 times. There are plenty of people that have more than that." She grabbed my arm with her other hand and pulls me close. She makes me smile.

"You're right. The odd aren't against me. Not as bad as they could be at least." We walked together looking like a couple. This is a regular thing with us; we like to make people think we're together. In reality we're more like siblings than anything else. We've been here longer than a lot of the younger kids. She could have left years ago. A couple wanted to adopt her. It was called off when she went into a fit and attacked the couple. She later told me it's because they said they wouldn't take me with her. Ever since then she's been labeled unadoptable, just like me.

Our separation is brief as we register for the reaping. She rejoins me, and we walk over to our main care taker. "Alright everyone, we're going to meet up here after the reaping, just like last year." He says. "Now go to your sections. Good luck."

"Crisis, are we going to be together forever? You know as best friends?" She looks at me sad and scared. I hug her.

"Of course. Now hurry up and get in your section. The sooner everyone is in their places the sooner we can go back to that dirty hole we call home." I calmly say to her as I let her go. She smiles at me and runs off. Time to get this over with.

I wait in the crowd of 15 year old guys for the mayor to shut up. No one, but the Capitol cares about the Dark Days. No one! So why do we have to listen to it every year. I think every 5 years would be fine. So our freaky looking escort finally takes the stage. Velix Brintz is a large man. I mean seriously how can someone be that big? We could probably save a few lives with the food he throws away let alone the food he must eat. I think he could out eat a large family here. On top of that he is electric blue, not his cloths, his skin. Yeah I know weird. He is wearing gold eye make-up and his hair is platinum white. I really don't get these people. They disgust me.

"Shall we begin by with the young ladies?" He wobbles his way over to the bowl filled with the girl's names. I want to laugh, but I don't. "Let's see who we have for this year's female tribute." He unfolds the slip. "Scarlet Alder!" He yells into the crowd. A girl walks out from the 13 year old section on the girl's side. She doesn't have much of a walk because she's right down in front. She's pretty. She has short, brown, wavy hair that bounces as she walks. When she walks onto the stage and faces the crowd I see she's humbly beautiful. It's a shame she got reaped. People are sure to miss her. "Gentlemen next." He wobbles across the stage and reaches his sausage fingers into the guy's bowl. He pulls out the name of the unlucky guy. "Crisis Evans!" Damn it!

I walk down the aisle, up the stairs and over to the center of the stage. I look through the crowd and see Tabi's face. She looks upset. I know she'll be my only visitor. Everything else seems like a blur, and the next thing I know I'm in a decent sized room sitting on a couch, waiting. The door opens and in runs Tabi. She wraps her arms around me and just sobs. We don't talk, she cries and I hold her, that's all. We sit there for what seems like forever and I don't mind. I know that chances are I'll never see her again. That thought pains me because just like she's the only one I have, I'm all she has. I will try to win for her, but if I don't I want this moment right here to be my last thought. Knowing someone will miss me, someone cares.

**Reapings almost done with. Tell me what you think. We have a few more scenes before the Games actually start. Please review.**


	8. Chapter 7 District 9 Reaping

District 9 Reaping

POV of Eric Walden

"Eric, wake up." Mom shook me gently. I moaned and tried to pull the covers over my head. "Sweetheart you need to wake up. It's reaping day. You don't want to be late." She pulls my sheets down and opens my curtains. The bright light blinds me and forces me to wake up. I rub my eyes as I sit up on the edge of my bed. "I picked out a cute suit for you to wear at the tailors the other day." It was a crimson red button down shirt with jet black pants and jacket. The shoes were black with a single red stripe running down each side and polished so I could see my reflection. I smile.

"It looks amazing mom." I hug her. We leave my room and walk down to the kitchen. I sat down at the table, and began eating. Mom and Dad made a huge breakfast to celebrate Candice's last year in the reaping and my first. We had pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, bagels, fruit and an assortment of pastries. The plus side of being the mayor's son, the Capitol pays my father to watch over the district and report any problems. There are a few things he over-looks, like poaching wild game/fish. He occasionally buys things off the hunters. I love fresh wild boar. It's so much tastier than the pigs the butcher gets shipped in from 10. "So Candice how's it feel to be entering your last reaping?"

"I'm relieved. I mean I know that I don't have my name in there that many times so I definitely have a chance of making it through this." She smiled. After I finish my mountain of food I go back up stairs to the bathroom. I jump in the shower and hit the button that makes the water smell like fresh rain. This is my favorite. I place my hand on the Capitol gadget that helps me dry off. It makes getting ready in the morning so much easier. I comb my hair up so it spikes. Wrapping a towel around my waist I leave the bathroom and walk to my room. The suit my mom just got me is still lying on my bed. I smile again. She's awesome. I put my shirt on, button it up, and then slide on my pants. I grab the jacket and walk down stairs again. Candice is wearing a crimson red mini dress with matching high heels. "Look at that handsome man." She laughs.

"You don't look half bad yourself." I pause. "Of course I'm hotter." Be both laugh for a while.

"So are you nervous?" She asks me as we walk out of the house and make our way to the square. It's a short walk since we live a block away.

"Not really. My name is only in there once." I Pause. "What about you?"

"I'm not really nervous. Don't get me wrong, I'm not comfortable though."

"You'll be fine." I reassure her. As we reach the lines we give each other a hug. "See you for dinner." She smiles and runs off to find her friends. I see one of mine towards the back of the line and I run to him. "Pat!"

"Hey Eric. What's up?"

"Nothing really, excited for my sister. This is her last reaping ever. Tonight we're going out to celebrate." He smiles.

"Well if she doesn't get reaped tonight tell her I said congrats."

"Will do." We reach the front of the lines.

"Please give me your left hand" A peacekeeper says to each of us. We put our left hands forward and they took our blood then smeared in on a piece of paper next to our names and a barcode. I suck my finger when I get it back. After a minute the bleeding stops. Damn I have to go through this for the next 6 years, great. The 2 of us make our way to the front of my guy's side. The 12 year olds stand in front. I see some of my classmates and we talk for a little while.

My dad walks up to the microphone. "Hello everyone. Now before we can get the reaping over with I need to remind you of why we have the Hunger Games." Ugh I hate this part. As he goes on and on about the rebellion, the destruction of district 13 and how this is a reminder of the power the Capitol holds over us. "Now with that out of the way, here's district 9's very own escort Alestri Wevrin." He claps as she walk to the microphone and shakes his hand.

"Thank you mayor Walden. Now wasn't that a riveting story about our nation's history?" She raves. I can't help but let out a small chuckle. "Now let's see who our lucky, lucky tributes are. Ladies are you ready?" She excitedly walks over to the side of the stage that holds the female slips. She reaches her hand into the bowl. "Oh I'm so excited." She pulls one out and pauses to read it. "Calla Fidnev!" I don't recognize the name, but as I get a better look at her I realized she didn't live to far from us. "Next we'll see who your district partner is." She walks back across the stage and reaches her hand into the bowl. I'm not nervous at all. My name is on only one of those little slips out of dozens, maybe hundreds. She pulls a slip out and reads it. Her face goes straight for a moment and a sadistic smile comes across her lips. "Well isn't this interesting. Its none other than our mayor's son, Eric Walden."

I freeze. I can't believe this. I look up to my dad expecting him to do something, but all I get is a sad look and a shake of the head. I slowly start to move forward. I walk up the stage almost in a trance. I face turn to face the stage and see my mother crying in the crowd and my sister with a look of pure horror on her face.

"There we have it. District 9's tributes for the 95th Hunger Games!" She lifts my hand up over my head. I still haven't wrapped my head around this. How could Candice go the whole time without her name being called, but mine is drawn my very first year. We are pushed through the open doors of the Justice building. I've been in here before, many times before actually. I never thought I would be escorted into the tribute waiting rooms to say my final goodbyes. The door flies open and mom runs to me and pulls me close to her chest.

"My poor baby! Hunny can't you do something? Pull some strings, ask for a favor? He's only 12" She sobs to my father, never lifting her head from my shoulder. He puts his hand on her shoulder.

"You know I can't do that. Unless someone volunteers all reapings are final. I'm so sorry son." When it finally hits me that I'm going into the games I begin to cry.

"Am I going to die?" I ask. Mom stops moving, almost as if every part of her stopped working.

Candice takes over. "No. You will team up with the strongest person you can and you go as far as you can. Right before you make it to the top 8 you slit their throat. After that you do whatever it takes to win. You understand me?" I nod. We all hug until the peacekeeper tells them to leave. Next my friends come in. we don't talk much. We just sit there. Then my best friend Greg hugs me and tells me I better make it out alive. I try to sound confident, but almost no 12 year olds ever make it out. It's just not possible for me to win. I have to try though. If I give up I won't stand a chance. I'm escorted to the train and as I watch my home fade away I begin to cry again.


	9. Chapter 8 District 12 Reaping

District 12 Reaping

POV of Katniss Mellark

"Babe, it's time to wake up." I groan, pull the blankets over my head and huddle into a little ball. All of a sudden the covers are gone, and I'm lifted off the bed. I open my eyes. "Good morning gorgeous." Peeta smiles at me. I give him a sour face and he laughs.

"Alright I'm awake. Can you put me down now, or are you going to carry me all the way to the kitchen?"

"I think that one." He says sticking his tongue out at me. I can't help but smile. I wrap my arms around his neck and rest my head on his shoulder. I would never admit this to him, but I love it when he does this. We round the corner to see the kids sitting at the table eating breakfast. He gently puts me down and continues cooking his wonderful pastries.

"How long was I asleep before you came to wake me?"

"A good hour or so. Rue woke me up." I look over to our little angel. She is stuffing her face with some of her daddy's chocolate, almond croissants. I just smile at her. Then I remember what today is. Has it really been a year already? I guess it has. I have been fearing this day ever since I found out I was pregnant with her. She has better odd than I ever did though. No tesserae for her. I made sure to let the peacekeepers know that my arrows will meet their skulls if they ever allow her to sign up for one. We don't need it so why should I let her worsen her chances.

"You ready for me to show you what we've been saving for this day?" I say to Rue and she nods. Last year we explained the games to her and where her name came from. It made her sad to think that she might know some people that leave and never come back, but she understood that not everyone she knows will go through this. "Well then finish up your breakfast, thank daddy and we'll go upstairs to get washed up. Then I'll show you your dress." She quickly finishes her croissant, grabs my hand, and pulls me upstairs. "Close your eyes." She clenches her eyes. I pull out the Pale green calf length dress, with pink, purple, red, yellow and blue flowers tightly placed together at the bottom and slowly thinning out as it goes up. "Okay, open your eyes." When she does they widen and she runs to me to hug me.

POV of Peeta Mellark

I pick up Caramel. "Come on Taro, it's time to get dressed." He folded his arms and refused to move. "Well it that's how it's going to be then fine." I picked him up and carried him upstairs. He didn't kick or scream, he just wanted to be carried. He's just like his mother. I sat the 2 of them on Taro's bed and went over to his closet. I grabbed a gray pants and vest combo, with a plain white button down shirt. "Now get dressed or I'll tell aunty Prim no dessert for you the whole time Mommy and I are gone." Needless to say he got dressed. Rue comes running into the room wearing her new dress.

"Thank you Daddy!" She says charging aw me, wrapping her tiny arms around my stomach. I tussle her hair.

"Peeta what are you doing? She was all ready. Now I need to fix it. Since I have to fix your mistake can you get Caramel ready?" She says sticking her tongue out at me.

"Sure. I love how you get the one who can dress herself." I joke with her. As her and Rue leave the room to fix her hair I guess I messed up, I tuck in Taro's shirt and slip a cute red dress over Caramel's head. She giggles when I tickle her tummy. My family is the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me. In a world so dark and horrible, I have a glimpse of joy and happiness right here at home. I hate the time I have to spend away from them. To be honest it's the one thing that makes not having any tributes come home worth it, I get to come home to them sooner. Prim really does us a favor by watching them.

"Are you 3 ready? Aunty Prim and Uncle Vick are waiting!" Katniss yells up the stairs.

"Let's go get Mommy!" I say to Taro and Caramel. They both smile. Taro goes running and I scoop up Caramel and chase after him.

POV of Tess Hawthorne

The door bell rings. "I'll get it mom." I yell, opening the door. Uncle Peeta, Aunt Katniss and the kids are standing in front of me smiling.

"Hey kiddo. How are you doing?" Uncle Peeta asks giving me a hug.

"Okay, I guess. Not excited for today."

"I don't blame you sweetheart." Aunt Katniss said putting an arm around my shoulder. We walk into the kitchen. "There's my little duck." She laughs as she sees mom. Mom turns to her and smile. Caramel tugs on my dress, I look down, smile at her, and then pick her up. She begins to play with my long blonde hair.

"Tess why don't you take the kids over to Uncle Gale's to get Will." Mom suggests.

"Sure thing mom." Will is my age so out of all my cousins around here I spend the most time with him. I carry Caramel, and hold Taro's hand. "Hey Rue can you get the door since I got the munchkins?"

"Sure thing." She smiles and runs in front of me. We walk down the road a bit until we get to Uncle Gale's and Aunty Madge's house. We don't bother knocking and just walk in. "Uncle Gale, uncle Gale!" Rue runs to him and as soon as she reaches him he lifts her about his head.

"Hey Rue. It's your first reaping isn't it?" She nods. "Don't worry. Tess won't let anything happen to you. Will you Tess?"

"Of course not." He smiles. I know he's technically only my Uncle, but the Hawthornes and the Everdeens grew up together. That's actually why Mom and Dad got together.

"William your cousin's are here!" Aunt Madge yells from the kitchen. I leave Uncle Gale with the kids and go to see her. "You look beautiful today."

"Thanks." I say with a smile. Shortly that smile turns to a frown.

"What's wrong?"

"Not sure. I just feel like something bad is going to happen."

POV of Peeta Mellark

"So how have you been?" Katniss asks Prim. "Sorry we've been so busy. Snow is planning Peeta and I's 20th wedding anniversary so I've been attached to my phone." She laughs. "He may be evil, but he knows good publicity when he sees it, and it's gotten me a free wedding and a few anniversary parties so I might as well go along with it." The 2 of them burst out laughing. Vick and I really don't get it, but we never really do. Sometimes it seems like they're in a world of their own.

"I've been good. To be honest Vick and I have some news for you." He walks over to her and puts his arm around her waist. "Katniss I'm pregnant." Katniss squeals so loud I have to cover my ears. The sisters hug and I walk over to Vick.

"Congratulations man." I shake his hand. He smiles.

"Thanks Peeta. There is one more thing. I know Tess is Gale and Madge's god daughter since we weren't sure how Katniss would react to being a child's guardian, but now that you have 3 of your own we want to know if you would do us the honor of being this child's god parents." Joy overwhelms me. I look over to Katniss and she's crying. Even so, she has a huge smile on her face.

"Of course. Thank you for choosing us." I look at the clock. Katniss we need to get going. Since it's only us 2 and Haymitch we better go wake him up. It's not like he'll get there on time, but if we don't wake him up he'll miss the train." She nods, gives Prim one more hug and we head out towards Victor's Village.

"I'm so excited." Katniss says jumping up and down. It takes us a bit to get to Haymitch's but we get there at a reasonable time. We don't bother knocking knowing he won't be up yet.

POV of Katniss Mellark

I put on a pot of coffee as Peeta wades his way through the piles of liquor bottles and trash to the stairs. I always make him wake Haymitch up because when I do it I throw cold water on him and he comes at me with a knife. It's not the best combination. I hear yelling coming from upstairs and laugh a little. Haymitch is a drunk, miserable and loud, but he really helped me and Peeta in the Arena as well as when we came back.

"Peeta we need to go!" I yell up the stairs. He runs down the stairs and is followed by a crumbling Haymitch. "Have a little too much to drink last night?" I laugh. He glares at me in his usual manner. We remind him that we need to be there early even though he's going to show up just as Effie takes the stage and he'll do his signature dive bomb into a crowd of terrified children. We walk to the square, which is a rather short trip and see Effie is already there.

"Katniss, Peeta where have you been?" She looks behind us. "And where is Haymitch?"

"The same place he always is at this time. Sticking his head into the fridge looking for a bottle of white liquor." Peeta laughs. Effie does not find it as amusing as we do. She storms off to the stage and we follow like good little victors.

I see the crowd growing larger and still no Haymitch. But I do see my beautiful daughter and wonderful niece walking in together. I smile as I see Tess reassuring Rue like I did for Prim before her first reaping. If that day had gone differently Rue wouldn't be here, none of my children would be. The arena was hard, but it gave me my family. Something I never thought I wanted. I wave to the girls when Tess points me out. They both smile and wave back.

POV of Tess Hawthorne

I reassured Rue that everything would be fine and she started to calm down a bit. I told her to head down to the front to find her friends and that I would see her after it was all over. She gave me a nervous smile and ran to the front of the crowd. I find my way through the mass of people and stand in the section for 15 year old girls. I see great uncle Undersee take center stage and everything goes quiet.

"Hello district 12, I'd like to begin this ceremony the same way we always do, with the story of how this tradition came to be." He explains everything that led up to today. "And without further ado here is Effie Trinket, district 12's escort." The victors clap and without fail Uncle Haymitch stumbles up the steps.

"Effie!" He shouts. "We need to talk about you sending them." He pauses and points to Katniss and Peeta. "To wake me up!" He starts to walk over to her and misjudges where the edge of the stage was. Like he has my who life he falls off the stage right into the crowd of 12 year old girls. Poor Rue. I see her help him up and bring him back on the stage. When she realizes he's in front of the whole district and on t.v. her face turns bright red and she rushes off. I chuckle a bit. That's my little cousin for you.

"Well that was…..um…well….an interesting opening. So shall we get on with selecting out tributes?" Effie asks all flustered. She reaches into the girl names and pulls one out. When she opens it she looks sad. "Our female tribute is Rue Mellark." I hear gasps from the crowd. What? I must have heard her wrong. But sure enough Rue walks up onto the stage with tear running down her face. "Do we have any volunteers?" I can't let this happen. She's going to die.

"I volunteer!" I push my way through the crowd to the center aisle. I hear my mom cry and Aunt Katniss looks both relieved and depressed. I make my way to the stage. Rue hugs me and whispers thank you in my ear. Effie looks at me and instead of shaking my hand like she does the other tributes, she hugs me. I feel one tear roll down my cheek. Effie releases me and makes her way over to the guy's names. She doesn't rummage through it like she usually does; she just reaches her hand in, grabs one and reads it aloud. "Ricky Holloway!" She says. The boy walks from just before the back of the guy's section. So I'm guessing he's 16 or 17. He makes his way onto the stage, shakes Effie's hand and acts like nothing happened. "Your district 12 tributes!" Effie raises our hands over our heads in the typical fashion. We are lead off the stage and into the Justice Building. I wait in a little room until mom and dad come in. Mom has been crying.

"I am so proud of you. Protecting your little cousin like that. You're just like your aunt. If it wasn't for Katniss neither of us would be hear. I just know you can do this." She hugged me tightly. I love you Tess, with everything I have."

"I love you too mom. I promise I will come home. Aunty Katniss and Uncle Peeta did and you're only supposed to have one victor." I reassure her.

"Listen to me princess, find a good ally, fight your hardest and play smart. Though careers only think about killing, you need to think about surviving." My dad says. I nod. Before I know it their time is up. Next are Uncle Gale, Aunt Madge and Will. Then an unexpected person walks in, mayor Undersee and his wife. They don't visit me much.

"You are one brave little girl." Mayor Undersee says to me.

"Thank you."

Uncle Gale hugs me and tells me to be strong. Will cries and tells me I'm an idiot. But then he hugs me.

"I'm sorry Will. But Rue would have died. I couldn't let that happen." He understood. "I'll be back."

"I know you will." Uncle Gale said patting me on the shoulder. They left and then the Mellarks came in. Rue ran over to me and wrapped her little arms around me.

"Thank you so much Tess. I promise I'll be good and train hard from now on." She sobs. I hold her close and let her cry for a while.

"You know Tess your Uncle and I will do everything we can to bring you home. You're not just any tribute you're family." Aunt Katniss told me. I believed her. I know they hate it when their tributes die, but I also know they love me. They won't let me die. They'll do what they can to keep me alive and make me a victor just like them. Then she pulls something out of her pocket. It's her mockingjay pin. "Your Aunt Madge gave this to me before our games and now I pass it down to you. It brought me home, so I'm hoping it will bring you the same luck. My little mockingjay." She smiled and kissed my forehead.

"Now make sure to listen to everything we tell you. Even if it seems silly, we know what we're doing. It will help. Trust us." Uncle Peeta tells me. I nod. Caramel asks me when I'll be home. I told her as soon as I can be. Taro gives me a kiss and cries. He's seen the games and knows that not everyone come back. Soon the peacekeepers come to take me to the train. I see Ricky and he still looks like he could care less. Maybe I should see if we could make an alliance. He seems strong. Well we'll see what happens on the train.

**The last reaping chapter. Next phase is the train. I am using a map I got off of to determine trip length. Please review.**


	10. Chapter 9 Train Ride Day 1

**Each day will include the views of each district I have been representing. I have based my train rides off of a map I got off of . When a district is no longer on the train they will be in a waiting period in the Capitol. They are not allowed to enter the training room, but they do have the advantage of mingling to get sponsors. Every once in a while I will give you an update on how those tributes/mentors are doing. Bellow is a list of lengths they'll be on the train. (Leaves from the center of the District)**

**District One: One Day**

**District Two: One Day**

**District Three: Two Days**

**District Four: Three-Four Days**

**District Five: About a Week**

**District Six: About a Week**

**District Seven: Five Days**

**District Eight: Two-Three Days**

**District Nine: Two Days**

**District Ten: Four Days**

**District Eleven: Five Days**

**District Twelve: About a Week**

Train Rides – Day 1

POV of Crystal Tesler, District 1

"Stand up." I shout to Diamond and Titanium. They both just look at me. "Get the fuck up and let me look at you. I need to know what we have to work with!" This time they move quickly. I have them stand a foot or two apart, and I begin circling them. I start with Diamond. She's pretty, with flowing, wavy, golden blonde hair, just stopping at the shoulder. She was thin, but muscular, and on the tall side. Full lips and perfect face structure. "Alright, Diamond I want you to play up your beauty."

"No. I have something better." Did she just talk back to me? I glare at her.

"Already princess, you want to do my job? What's your idea?" Might as well humor her, then when her idea sucks I can hopefully get her back on the right track.

"Well I lost two siblings and an aunt to the games. I can play off the grief and how I plan to avenge their deaths." Okay so it's not a bad idea.

"Alright, we'll go with your plan. But from now on you either listen to me or I let you die out there." She looks to Nolan and Sheen. "Hey, don't look at them. I'm your mentor. They can't stop me from not sending you valuable supplies." She looks scared. Good. Nolan finishes examining Titanium.

"You should play up you strength. Everyone loves a villain. Be that villain, a ruthless killer." Nolan says. Titanium nods. Of course, he gets the obedient tribute. "Now what skills do you have?"

"I can handle most any weapon, but I'm best with a spear." Nolan, Sheen and I nod in approval.

"I am fantastic with clubs and other weapons like that. I spent most my training perfecting my skills with them."

"Can you use anything else?" Sheen asks

"Well, not really, but I'm a fast learner." Great so she's basically useless.

"The reapings should be playing now. Let's go and see what your allies look like and if there are some non-careers that you should try to pull on your side." Nolan says. The two of them nod and we walk over to the sitting area.

Menix is already there. "Take notes." He says handing them both a notepad and pen. We watch as our district is called, then two. Okay Onyx doesn't look like much, but her district partner Slate is a different story. He might not be huge like Titan over here, but he looks strong enough. The boy from 3 cries, while the girl looks like she's going to be sick, now we're back a career district; 4. The girl looks tiny and for some reason no one volunteered for her. Wimps, but then the male volunteer says his name and I smile. Sibling, now that's interesting. We see the girl from 5. She looks strong.

"I want you to take her in. She looks like she can fight." I say. They both look at me like I'm crazy. "Either you do it or no gifts in the arena!" I snap. They reluctantly agree. "The boy from 6 looks enthusiastic. Watch him in training, if he's any good get him before anyone else does" Nolan nods.

"She's right. It will be easier to kill some of these people if they feel like you're interested in them. You're their best shot." The girl from 7 looks promising, but the pack is getting too big so I'll leave the rest up to them. If they want more they can get more. 7's district partner on the other hand is a mess. He'll be an easy kill. The boys from 10 and 11 look strong. They could be problematic, and same with the girl from 12. It's been about 20 years since someone volunteered from 12, a matter of fact this girl looks familiar. This year is going to be gruesome.

POV of Slate Roberts: District 2

We all sit at the table. No one talks for a little while.

"So what's your plan for the arena Onyx?" Chaos Cristo asks.

"Ally with the other career's and decimate the so called competition." She says with a huge smile. Chaos laughs.

"What about you Slate?" Vice asks.

"I'm not sure if I want to join the careers or not." Everyone looks at me. Great I just pissed off my life lines.

"Well it's your choice. But your chances are better if you're with them." Jezebel chimes in. I know that, but I don't enjoy killing. I volunteered so I can save my little brother and sister, that's all. I nod. "So what are your strengths?"

"I'm great with swords and daggers. I guess I'm really good at hand to hand combat, because I'm pretty strong. Since I've been training for so long I have excellent stamina." I can see Chaos has gotten more upset with my possible desertion of the careers. He nods to Onyx.

"My stamina is really good too. Plus I almost never miss with throwing knives. I saw a rerun of the 74th Hunger Games when I was little and that's when I knew I wanted to be like Clove. She was so awesome." Jezebel smiles, but the thought of another clove scares me. She was ruthless, taunting, and downright bloodthirsty.

"Why don't we go watch the other reapings?" I suggested. The others stand up and we walk to the sitting room compartment of the train. I sit down onto the gigantic couch and to my surprise Onyx sits close to me. I close my eyes and think of Jade back home. What would she think if she saw this? I don't pay attention to many of the reapings. 4 catches my attention because it's a brother, sister team. There is a 12 year old boy from 9 that looks devastated. He's the mayor's son. That's got to suck. We finally get to 12 and I recognize the name Mellark, she's the kid of 2 victors. Then a girl walks out of the crowd. She volunteered to protect the little girl. I wonder why.

"Go get some rest. We arrive in the Capitol early, early in the morning so sleep while you can. Tomorrow you meet your prep team." Vice says. An Avox shows Onyx and I to our rooms. I crawl into bed without bothering to undress. I just lie there thinking about everything that's going to happen in the next few weeks.

POV of Finn Black: District 4

Stephan told me he wanted to talk to me earlier so I left Angel with Ambrosia and Ester, and we walked to my room.

"Man I know you want to take care of your sister, but you put me in a bad place. I still have flashbacks from last year and now I have to help you die essentially." I put my hand on his shoulder.

"I didn't mean to cause you trouble, but when I saw no one volunteered for her I had to do something."

"What if the worst happens? What if neither of you make it home alive? Your mom will never forgive me." He paused. "Just promise me something."

"Yeah anything."

"Team up with my cousin's older cousin. She'll help take care of Angel. Split up at the final 8. That way I know that the 3 of you have a fighting chance. Just promise me you won't kill her unless it comes down to the 3 of your. At least then I'll have one of you come out alive."

"I promise dude. Besides I could always use the extra help with Angel." We walk back to the dining car. There is more food than I've ever seen at one time in my life. I grab a plate and pile it up as high as I can with as many different things as will fit.

"Try the hot chocolate. Trust me you'll love it." Stephan says with a smile. He turns to an avox. "3 hot chocolates. Extra whipped cream for the girl." He nods and walks off. I stuff my face and soon the avox comes back with Stephan's order. I sip it. It's sweet, but not too sweet; it's steaming, but it doesn't burn me. This stuff is amazing. I finish it rather quickly and ask for another. Stephan laughs at me as I continue to eat and drink, until I feel sick. "Don't worry, it happens to everyone." Angel seems to have more control than I do, although she is trying as much as she can too. I smile at her as she dives into a small chocolate cake. Her face is covered and so are her hands. I love her so much. I will make sure she goes home.

POV of Crisis Evans: District 8

After dinner we were allowed to do what we wanted. I sat in the sitting room again just watching the reapings over and over. Listening to Ceasar Flickerman talk about what he knew about each tribute. Scarlet walks in and sits down on the other side of the couch.

"Hey." I say softly. She looks over at me. I could tell she had been crying. "You okay?"

"Yeah I guess so. Just scared." She looked down. "I know I'm going to die. I'm not strong."

"But the list you game our mentors of your skills seem like they'll keep you alive. Find a strong ally. You'll make it far." She scooted closer to me.

"You really think so?" She smiles.

"Yeah." I say smiling back. Her eyes are gorgeous; hazel with golden flecks. I can't look away. I feel my heart racing as I move a little closer to her. I've never felt like this before. When she's next to me I put my arm around her and she leans into my chest. We lay there until we fall asleep.

POV of Eric Walden: District 9

I don't belong here. I should be at home. Maybe if I close my eyes really tight and open them again, I'll be home. I try it and needless to say it doesn't work. I've been in this room all day. I haven't left. I ordered some food that reminded me of home, and took the longest shower I've ever taken. I use the body mist that makes me smell like fresh rain. It makes me feel a little better. I badly want to call my family, but I know I can't.

I hear a knocking on my door. It opens slightly. "You okay?" Calla comes in and asks. I don't answer. "Look I know you're scared, and I know this isn't fair. But if you mope around and feel sorry for yourself then you're going to die in there. No one is just going to help you. You need to help yourself and hope that maybe someone will come along too." She closes the door and I hear her walk down the hall.

I think about what she said as I lay on my bed. She's right. Everyone that enters the arena wants to go home. If I want to be the one that does, I need to fight my way out. I get up; walk out of my room and to Resin's room. I knock. He opens the door and I look at him. "What do I need to do to survive?" He smiles and welcomes me in.

POV of Stephan Odiar: District 4

_*Flashback begins*_

"_STEPHAN! HELP ME!" I hear Jennet scream. I run for her, but the field seems to be growing larger. I continue to run and the ground opens up underneath me. I look up and see the faces of everyone I killed laughing at me. _

_*End of Flashback*_

I wake up screaming and crying. As I sit up chills run down my spine. I'm not looking forward to being a mentor. Part of me wants Angel to die and Finn to win. Then I'd only be one victor away from not having to come here and watch my friends die. Two wins. That's all it takes. I hear my door open. I look over and see the very girl I damned to death in my mind.

"Are you okay? I heard your screams all the way from my room."

"Yeah I'm fine." I say patting my hand on the bed next to me. "Just a flashback." She starts to walk over looking concerned. "Don't worry, it's nothing. They happen all the time." She sits down next to me.

"I'm scared. I don't want Finn to die because of me." She starts sobbing. I wrap my arms around her and just let her cry. Next thing I know she's asleep. I've known her since I was little. Finn and I have been friends for as long as I can remember, so I was at their house a lot. It's such a shame that their parents have to lose one of them. As I think about happier times I begin to doze off.

**Okay that's all I'm going to do for the first day. Tomorrow there will be a brief segment on 2 for Slate's first view of the Capitol. Hope you like it so far. Please review. **


	11. Chapter 10 Train Ride Day 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Game or a portion of these character. **

Train Ride - Day 2

POV of Slate Roberts: District 2

"Slate wake up. I know it's early, but if you want breakfast before we reach the station you need to wake up now." Beatrice says pulling my covers off. "I'll have an avox set you out some cloths. Be in the dining cart in 10 minutes at the latest." I groan. After she leaves I get into the shower. I don't have much time, but I didn't shower last night. When I get out I'm dripping wet. The avox in my room looks at me, and motions me back into the bathroom. She wets her hair and arms, and then places her hand on this weird Capitol machine. In an instant she's dry. Okay I have to admit that's cool.

"Thank you." She nods and walks off. I see the outfit she laid out for me. "Not bad" I think to myself. I quickly get dressed, and head down to the dining car. When I see Onyx I can't believe she's the same girl. She has on a sleek, silver dress that went halfway down her calves. She looked really nice. The Capitol is going to adore her. "Good morning everyone."

"Hurry up and eat. We're arriving at the Capitol station in 15 minutes." Vice says. I sit down and begin eating.

"Slate come look at this!" Onyx yells to me from the window. I get up and rush over to her. WOW! The buildings are shining different shades of pink due to the sun rise. I've never seen anything like this before in my life. I see people watching the train come in, and in the distance I see a building that appears to go around the city. I can see a few other tracks, and assume there are more where they come from. I return to my seat to finish my breakfast. I feel the train stop. I shovel the rest of my food into my mouth and wait. Beatrice guides us to the front of the train, where we entered just before noon yesterday. We all line up at the door. Beatrice is next to Chaos (our oldest mentor), next vice and Jezebel, last Onyx and I. I can hear people outside the door, but as it opens I realize there are a lot more of them then it sounded like.

As cameras flash in my face, blinding me I think to myself "Welcome to the Capitol Slate."

POV of Finn Black: District 4

I wake up to whispers outside my door. "Did you hear Stephan screaming last night?" Ester asked someone.

"Yeah, poor kid. Survives the game to be force to watch in first hand. I remember my first year. It was tough." Ambrosia said. Okay so that's who Ester is talking too.

"On top of that the Black's are family friends. Finnick told me to watch over him if and when they die."

"Wow, that's got to be hard, wasn't his district partner his girlfriend? I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up like Haymitch."

"Oh yeah, his family and girlfriend were killed for his stunt with the force field. I heard about that." Wow, and I thought it got easier once you won. Maybe Angel would be better off if she died in there. What am I thinking? She's strong, she can keep herself together. I decide to go see Stephan. From the sounds of it, he needs a friend. Ester and Ambrosia must have heard me get up and moved on. Why were they outside my door anyway?

I make my way to Stephan's room. It's hard to believe we're on a train since I can barely feel it moving, it must be going fast. When I go to knock I see the door is open a little, so I walk in. That's when I see them; a sleeping Stephan with his arms around my sister. Was she with him all night? Is this why the other 2 mentors were talking about him right outside my room, but left when they knew I was awake? The longer I see them the more rage fills me. Seeing him sleeping next to her so peacefully makes me want to ring his neck, but then I see her face. She seemed so happy. So I reluctantly swallow my rage and walk through the hall to the dining car. Hopefully a full stomach will help settle me.

POV of Skylar Croft: District 5

Kel, Trin and I are greeted by an eager Plyas as we wait for our tributes to wake up. Yesterday we got to know them a little bit and had them watch the reapings. We want them to get an understanding of what they're up against. Since it's nearly noon I'm guessing they had long nights.

"Aren't you excited?" Plyas asks, practically bouncing with joy.

"About what Plyas? This happens every year. And to be quite honest the Capitol people are basically the only people excited for it!" Kelven snaps. I slap my hand against my forehead. Not again.

"Well this year someone in your district was excited. That Electra girl is the first volunteer from 5 in ages." Great comeback Plyas. "Besides 1, 2 and 4 are typically excited and this year there were plenty of volunteers from underdog districts." She pauses. "That reminds me. I heard from a friend that the girl from 12, Tess, is none other than Katniss Mellark's niece. That's why she volunteered for the little Mellark girl." Well now that is interesting. I can't wait to see if she is anything like her Aunt. I like Katniss; she hates the Capitol like the rest of us. And on top of that her and Peeta are the first ever pair to survive the Hunger Games. Now that is impressive. It bothers me though. So many lovers have gone into the games, but they're the only ones that ever came out. It makes you wonder why.

"Just because a few stupid kids want to sign their own death certificate doesn't mean I should be excited!" Kel snaps again. These 2 never get along. They remind me of 12 a bit, except Kel isn't a drunk and Effie may possibly be less annoying. Just then our tributes walk in. Electra glares at Kel. Trin and I burst out laughing. Saved by the tributes.

"Now, now children, play nice. We're on this train for about a week, and there is no reason to frighten the 2 of them before they enter the Capitol." Plyas glares at me for my remark. "Sorry Plyas, but for someone that is lucky to have hammy-downs and boiled vegetables the Capitol and all it's crazy colors, foods and bubbly people can be quite scary." She nods understanding what I meant. "Now Electra, sit down here with me and Trinity, she's going to be your primary mentor. Carter, you sit with Kelven. He's you're primary. I will be assisting both of them, trying to keep you both alive as long as possible." Electra walks over and sits next to Trin, and Carter to Kel.

"Eat up. Later we talk strategy." Trin says to Electra.

"That goes for you too boy." Kel chimes in. I smile. We're a nice team, but I'm tired of watching the deaths and knowing I could have helped them. I need one of them to win. I want to retire.

POV of Rose Styles: District 7

I awaken to the smell of food wafting through the air. I jump out of bed, through my door and down the hallway. As I get closer my mouth begins to water. I think back to last night and how I nearly made myself sick from eating. Today I plan on taking it a little slower. As I burst through the door separating the dining car from the seating area I am overwhelmed with the delicious smells and appearances of all the Capitol delicacies. I look to the clock to see I slept through breakfast. Damn it! That's the one meal I haven't had yet.

I see Elm already sitting at the table eating some sort of meat. That's strange, no sign of our mentors or the most annoying man I Panem, Fiovlious our escort. "Hey Elm, what you eating?" He looks up at me and finishes chewing.

"Pepper encrusted pork loin with a tart cherry and burgundy sauce." He replies smiling. "I've never had anything like it." Okay that sounds amazing. I grab a plate and make my way down the line of tables. By the time I reach the end I have some of that pork Elm had, a whole hickory smoked fish, what looks like a tiny bird stuffed with some bread vegetable mixture, 2 ears of spicy grilled corn, some sort of creamy garlic greens and a whole roasted potato with cheese and bacon. Elm looked up at me again and laughed, almost chocking on his food. I took a bite of the pork first. It was better than I thought it would be. The pepper made it spicy, and the cherries made it sour. I smiled at Elm

"This is really good." I said covering my mouth. He nodded. Next I tried the fish. My eyes opened wide. "Elm this fish tastes the was a hickory tree smells."

"Really?"

"Here try it." I said handing him my fork. He put it in his mouth and smiled.

"Reminds me of home." Then a sad look took over his face. "Rose, do you think either of us will ever see home again?" I didn't know how to answer him. In order for me to keep my promise to my family he has to die, but I don't want to kill him. Hopefully someone else does.

"One of us will." I smile. My words seem to comfort him. He gets up and grabs 2 of the smoked fish. I giggle. Out of the corner of my eye I see movement. I look up and see Johanna standing in the doorway.

"I see you like the fish." She smiled. "It's my favorite. Reminds me of the woods back home." Elm and I both nod. She walks over, grabs a plate of fish, corn and some other things I haven't tried yet, and sit down across from us. "Now listen. Only one of you can go back home. But for now work together. If you do you'll be one step closer to making it back."

POV of Katniss Mellark: District 12

I walk to Tess' room to get her for lunch. I knock on the door.

"Come in." She yells from inside the room. I walk in and see her sitting on the bed. She looked up at me. "Aunty I know you, Uncle Peeta and Uncle Haymitch are going to do your best to bring me home…."

"We are going to bring you how Tess. You're family. I'm not going to let you die."

"But just in case can you tell my little brother or sister that I love them, and that I'll always be watching over them." She sniffles. I go over to her and hug her as tight as I can.

"Tess you don't have to be brave right now. I'm not just your mentor, I'm your aunt. It's okay to cry." She begins to bawl as I pull her close to my chest. She reminds me of Prim the day I volunteered to take her place. She long blonde hair in 2 french braids, just like mom had put Prim's up. But when she looks up at me she reminds me of the Hawthornes. I rocked her back in forth until her breathing slowed and her crying stopped. "You ready for lunch? I know your Uncles miss you. Haymitch even promised not to get drunk until after you go to sleep." She laughed. "I'm not kidding. He's worried about you. I think this might be the first year he's not drunk in the control center. He has a family again and he doesn't want to see that disappear." She smiled. "Now let's pick out something pretty to wear."

"Do you think Ricky will think it's cute?" She asks me while blushing.

"You're gorgeous; of course he'll notice you." We look into the dresser and find a cute sun dress. I hold it up and she nods. She runs into the bathroom and gets cleaned up and changed. I wait on her bed for her.

"Katniss are you in there?" Peeta asks.

"Yeah come in." He opens the door and looks around the room. "She's getting dressed."

"Oh okay. Me and Haymitch were getting worried. Besides he's having a hard time taking it easy. But he's trying." We both laugh. We hear the bathroom door start to open and look over at it. As she walks out of the bathroom I'm amazed. Other than at reapings I've never really seen her in anything feminine. She's like me when I was her age. "Nope." Peeta says getting up and trying to push her back into the bathroom.

"But Uncle Peeta, Aunt Katniss picked it out for me." He stopped pushing her and turned to me.

"She did, did she?" He looked at me. I smiled.

"What? She looks cute." He tackles me and tickles me. "Stop it! Stop it!" I kick and scream. Next thing I know he's on the ground laughing. My loving niece protected me.

"Hey, what's going on in here?" Haymitch yells. We all look at him. "I'm trying to stay sober and you're playing around."He said with a smile. "Now Tess what are you doing rolling around on the floor with a guy in a dress?"

"Yeah Peeta. What are you trying to pull?" I asked laughing.

"Yeah Uncle Peeta." Tess chimes in.

"What me? You attacked me." He said looking at Tess.

"Sure Peeta. Pick on out poor niece." Haymitch says picking Tess up and carrying her to the door. "Now let's go get some lunch. Ricky is already there." Tess blushes and takes off running.

POV of Eric Walden: District 9

After my conversation with Resin I realized that because I'm younger some people will pity me and try to help me, and other will target me. So I need to make sure I get lots of sponsors. I have to get a high training score and I need to do well in the interview.

So first thing this morning I went to the weight room where I once again ran into Resin. "Hey little man. I see you're taking my advice." I nod. "First things first get on that treadmill. Do the hardest one you can and just go." I do as he says. I train until my legs felt like they were going to fall off. Resin comes over and presses a button. "You did 3 miles on a relatively easy setting. But for your first time, it's not bad. Now go eat again, something with a lot of carbs. Meet me back here when you're done." I nod.

He is really kicking my ass, but I know I need it. I have never even thought of preparing myself for the possibility of getting reaped. I always thought I'd be safe. I have no idea what has a lot of carbs so I ask the avox boy to get me something. He comes back with a giant plate of pasta with butter and garlic and shrimp. I go to ask him what it's called so I can order it again and then I remember her cannot talk.

"Will you get this for me from now on?" He nods. "Thank you." He walks off. I eat every bit of food on my plate even though it makes me feel like I am going to pop. I wonder what Resin is going to have me do now. I walk back to the weight room and find him still there.

"You have enough to eat?" I nod. I don't know why I can't just say yes, other than the fact that Resin scares me. "Now we're going to move onto your arms. See that machine over there?" He points to a large machine. I nod. "Go use it. It's not that hard. You just put your arms against those pads and push your arms together." I walk over to it and begin with the lightest weight. After a few minutes I raise it and continue like that until Resin tells me to stop. He bounces me from machine to machine until dinner. By then I feel half dead. "Now after you both eat get some rest. We arrive in the Capitol around lunch tomorrow."

POV of Tess Hawthorne: District 12

I run to the door of the dining car. I stop take a deep breathe and walk in. "Hey Ricky" He looks up at me.

"Hi Tess." He says calmly. I'm really nervous. "You look nice."

"Thanks." I grab a plate and try not to get too much food. It's hard because it all looks so great. I grab a bowl of lamb stew because I know it's my Aunt's favorite. "So how do you like the food?"

"It's good." Wow this feels awkward. "I saw what you did for your cousin. Well obviously. But I thought it was pretty brave." I smile and he smiles back.

"You look nice too you know." I say nervously.

"Thanks." He pauses. "Tess look, I've liked you for a long time, but the odds of us ending up like your Aunt and Uncle is a million to one. I want to go home and I know you do too, and that means one of us has to die. If we let our feelings become more than they are…" He takes a deep breath. "I know I won't be able to kill you if I need to. I can't risk that." His voice is shaky. My vision begins to blur. I know he's right, but it still hurts. I know I have my Aunt and Uncle but for some reason I still feel alone. I wanted to connect to someone that understood my fears and pain. I'm scared and I don't want to be alone in that arena. "Tess I'm sorry." He reached his hand out to me. I moved my arm. I don't want him to touch me. I wish I had never left my room. I run through the door leading to the sleep car. I rush past my Aunt and Uncle's room and into mine. I slam the door as hard as can and leap into my bed. I love my cousin Rue, but right now I wish I hadn't volunteered. I wish I was home.

POV of Peeta Mellark: District 12

Katniss, Haymitch and I walk into the dining car expecting to see our lovely niece flirting with our other tribute. But when we enter we only see the boy, a bowl a lamb stew that is half empty and a plate of food on the opposite side of the table. Ricky had his head in his hands and was cursing something under his breath. Haymitch being non-other than Haymitch approached him.

"Where is Tess?" He calmly asked the upset boy. When he didn't receive an answer he lost control. He pounded his fist on the table, startling the poor kid, knocking the plate off the table and spilling the rest of the lamb stew. "I asked you a question. Now I'm only going to ask you one more time. Where is my niece?" He shouted in the Ricky's face.

"I don't know." He said quietly. Katniss was starting to get upset and so was I. But with Haymitch filling the room with tension and Katniss' temper this poor boy could do without me jumping on him too.

"What do you mean you don't know? She got all dressed up to come see you! When I told her you were here already she ran as fast as she could!" Ricky's head shoots up and I can see he's been crying. I walk over to Haymitch and place my hand on his shoulder. He gets the hint and walks straight to the bar. I don't blame him. I want a drink too. I look to Katniss and nod. She runs off to find Tess.

"What happened?" I ask calmly.

"We talked for a while, it was kind of awkward and I knew why. I like her I really do. But I know that we wouldn't end up like you and Katniss. To be honest I never really understood why you 2 made it out alive. So I told her we couldn't start anything. I know if I fall in love with her I won't be able to kill her, but I really want to go home." I understood his pain. I felt the same way when Katniss and I were thrown into the game, but it enraged me that Tess was hurting.

"I get it, but you should really talk to her. Nothing the 3 of us can say will make her feel better. It's up to you." I pat him on the back and go to find Katniss. This is going to be a long night and an even longer train ride.


	12. Chapter 11 Train Ride Day 3

**I apologize for this chapter taking so long. I wasn't sure what I was going to do for this one and then it got a little crazy here. I hope you enjoy it either way.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games or a portion of the characters. The details and a majority of the characters are of my own imagination. **

**I know that it is still a little slow, but I want to make sure you get to know the characters and their mindset before going into the games. It is only "2 weeks" until the games begin and this year is going to be intense. **

Train Ride/Capitol Day 3

POV of Crystal Tesler

_In Capitol_

Watching the people of the Capitol running around getting ready for the rest of the tributes to get here; being from 1 has its advantages though. First of all we win a lot so people are more willing to bet on us and sponsor the tributes. We also have the advantage of being one of the closest, so we do have more mingling time.

I wonder what the arena will be this year. The year I won it was a desert with giant dunes, small oasis' here and there. Around the edges there was a thin layer of trees which provided some refuge from the heat. The cornucopia was surrounded by a giant oasis. Of course being a career we made our base there and it made everything so much easier. But it wouldn't be the Hunger Games if the Gamemaker hadn't messed that us. When we woke up the water was gone and the plants were withered. Needless to say a feast was held later that day.

"Hello Crystal." Nolan said walking into the room. "Watching the show?" He asked nodding towards the window.

"Yeah. It both sickens and amuses me, watching how excited they get."

"Yeah I know how you feel."

"So the kids awake yet?" He nods. "Good. I want them lifting weights. One of us can stay here and the other 2 can go fish for sponsors or some more info on the other tributes. You know how these people are, they love to gossip."

"I'll stay." Sheen chimes. I look over to see him standing in the doorway. He gives me a sheepish smile. He knows there's been something between me and Nolan for a while, but we've been so absorbed in our "jobs" as mentors that we've never made it past friends. I don't mind. I know that he'll always been there for me and right now keeping things the way they are seems to be working for us. Titanium walks into the room.

"What do you want me to do today?" This boy really has no personality. At least he listens.

"You're in the weight room all day. Do everything you can. No leaving the floor." Sheen says. "Now shouldn't the 2 of you get going?" With that Nolan and I begin to walk to the elevator.

"So how'd you sleep last night?" He asked me.

"Good. What about you?"

"Good." Okay it's never been this awkward between us before. Then again we haven't been alone in about a year so it makes sense. "Crys there's something I've been meaning to ask you."

"Okay. What's up?" He seemed nervous. This is bad.

"It's about last year, when we had that one night." Great. I knew that would come back to screw me. You don't sleep with someone you care about that you don't plan on being with. "Well I know thing changed after that. We avoided being alone with each other, we avoided the topic of sex under all circumstances, it's just. I miss the way we were. And I kind of think about that night a lot." He paused. "You already know how I feel about you, and you told me you felt the same. I hope you still do. Crystal I hate living like I don't care. Those days ended when I walked out of the arena. I want to let someone in, I want to let you in. Please let me." We stopped walking as we reached the elevator. I was speechless. I didn't know he thought about me. I thought about him a lot too, but never planned on telling him. Should I tell him now? The door opens and we step inside.

"Nolan I still do care for you, but you don't know we're safe. The quarter quells have all sorts of twists. We could be sent back in. If I fall in love with you more….." Shit! His eyes lit up.

"Wait more? What do you mean more?" I tried to turn away, but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me close to him. "It's okay to feel things Crystal. Everyone does." He pulls me into his chest and holds me. The sound of his heartbeat, the rise and fall of his chest and his arms around me made me feel safe. I love him. I guess I've always known, but never wanted to admit it. Loving someone means risking breaking if you lose them. Now I know I will always hurt if I lose him. No matter how I look at it, it will hurt, whether or not I'm with him. "I love you Crystal. I always have." I nuzzle closer to him.

"I love you too Nolan."

POV of Crisis Evans

_In Capitol_

I feel the bed move and open my eyes. Scarlet is slipping the shirt I was wearing when we got her on. I smiled. "Hey beautiful, where are you going?" She turned around smiling as I began to sit up.

"I was going to run to my room to grab some cloths."

"But you look so sexy in nothing but my shirt." I reach over, grab her by the waist and pull her back onto the bed. She giggles. "Is it bad that being reaped was the best thing that's ever happened to me?" She stares at me for a moment.

"Well yeah. It's definitely a bad thing." She turns onto her other side so she's facing me. "What would make this the best thing that's ever happened to you?"

"Because I am laying here next to a gorgeous girl, wearing only my shirt, and I think I'm feeling something I thought I would never get the chance to feel when I heard my name called." I kissed her forehead. I don't know how I feel for her, but I know it's something and something strong. I know that one or both of us will die in the weeks to come. I try not to think about it, but it consumes me. The grief of losing her already kills me even though I can see her and touch her. Deep down I know that her death will be harder for me to handle than any tribute I may kill.

"What are you thinking about?" She looked up at me.

"You, the games, how I'm going to keep us both alive, I don't want to lose you Scarlet. I will gladly kill to keep you alive." My vision begins to blur, and I feel the warm tears running down my face. Scarlet moves closer to me and I feel she's crying too. I pull her as close as I can and just hold her. Without her my life will be empty. If she dies I might not have the will to carry on. No I have to. I have to win for her. I hated the games before, but now I hate them more. They may have brought me the most amazing girl I've ever met, but they're going to take her away from me as well. Fate can be so cruel.

There was a knock on the door and Tristan walked in. "Okay you two let's go. Everyone is beginning to wonder what's going on. Get dressed…in your own clothing and go to the dining room for breakfast." He leaves the room so we can get dressed. He's the one that let us sleep in the same room last night. He walked in on us the first day on the train and saw how happy we were. I guess he has a soft spot for this sort of thing. I kiss her one more time before getting up and walking over to the dresser. I smile when I see some girls cloths are in here too. She smiles as I hold up a shirt I thought would look cute on her.

"You think everyone knows?" She asks. Her eyes are cast down to the floor and her cheeks turn a rosy red. I feel my face getting hot as I realize complete strangers may know about my personal life. What happened last night wasn't planned. All we wanted was to be together, we know our time is limited and we only wanted to spend as much of it together as we could. It started as cuddling and kisses, and lead to…well…more intimate things. I had always imagined my first time being with someone I'd developed a relationship with for years, something we talked about and planned. But last night was magical, spontaneous and electrifying. Although I wish it could have been under better circumstances, I couldn't have picked a better person.

"I'm not sure. Tristan definitely knows. He saw you in my shirt the rest of our cloths from last night were on the floor. I doubt he told them though. He probably gets it, you know." I wasn't just trying to comfort her I was trying to comfort myself too. I don't want more people knowing about my new found sex life. It's probably useless. Unless one of us gets a tent in the arena we either stop all together or give all of Panem a show, and to be honest I'm not sure which one would be more painful for me. If only we both could make it out. Then it would be worth the wait. I vow to myself that if we can manage it I will marry this girl. I may not love her yet, but I know I can love her someday. I just hope I make it to that day.

POV of Stephan Odiar

_On Train_

Finn has been acting distant to me and Angel. I'm not sure why. Nothing has changed between the 3 of us I hope. Well I'm not sure nothing has changed. Angel comes into my room at night and we hold each other until we fall asleep. It helps me with my nightmares and I guess it makes her feel safe. I wonder if Finn knows about it. But how could he? It's not like we flaunt it or talk about it. It's nothing more than us helping each other. I pull Finn aside after breakfast.

"What's going on with you? I know this whole thing sucks, but you signed up for it. I'm trying to help you." He rolls his eyes. "What?"

"It doesn't matter!"

"You're my friend of course it matters."

"Since when?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I saw." Saw what? I wonder. I look at him confused for a moment. "You and Angel, I heard the other mentors talking about you our first morning on the train. I went to check on you. Your door was open a little so I walked in. I saw her sleeping on your chest with your arms around her. You're one of my best friends. How could you? She's my sister." I see tears forming in his eyes. I put my hand on his shoulder, but he pulls away.

"Finn it's not like that. I was having nightmares and she heard me screaming. She came to check on me. After a little while she started crying because she feels guilty that you're here because of her. She doesn't want her big brother to die. I was comforting her when she fell asleep. I didn't want to wake her up and kick her out so I just let her sleep. I guess I fell asleep too. It meant nothing. I swear."

"Has it happened again?" He stares me in the eyes with a look that seems to see straight through me. "Is it only to sleep? Please tell me that's all that happens." He's almost pleading with me.

"I swear that's all that's happened. She comes into my room after she gets ready for bed; we hold each other and fall asleep. It keeps us both calm." I pause for a moment. "I wanted to tell you, but Angel said you'd get the wrong idea. But I guess that happened anyway. I'm really sorry."

"It's okay. I'm glad she feels better about everything. You should have come to me. Finding out the way I did is what hurt the most you know. Take care of her for me. It's going to be hard on her when I die." I nod. He doesn't realize it's going to hurt me too. He's my best friend and I have to help him die. I know I have to help him because if I don't he'll do it on his own. This year sucks.

I not only have Finn in the games, his sister is in them and so is my cousin's older cousin. I hate this. Now I wish I hadn't won last year, then I wouldn't have to watch 3 people I've grown up with die.

POV of Tess Hawthorne

_On Train_

Since Ricky turned me down I haven't really seen him much. He tried to talk to me that night, but I told him to go away. I didn't want to see him. I know that only one of us can survive this, but that doesn't mean our lives have to end now. He might want to stop living and just give up, but I don't. If I die I'm going to die me. I'm going to have lived my life to the fullest and fight until my last breath, and with any luck I'll make it out alive. But if I don't I want to world to know that the Capitol doesn't own me.

If Ricky wants to die as one of their puppets then who am I to stop him, all that means is we're now enemies in the arena.

"Tess can I come in?" Uncle Haymitch asks outside the door.

"Sure." He walked in holding a phone. "Who are you talking to?"

"Stephan Odiar. You remember him right?"

"Yeah. He's Uncle Finnick and Aunt Annie's son right?" He nodded.

"He has a friend in the games this year. He wants to know if you'd team up with him and his younger sister." I nod. "Yeah Stephan she says its fine." He paused listening to what Stephan had to say. "No I don't think Ricky will be in that alliance." Another pause. "Let's just say him and Tess don't get along at this moment."

"Can I talk to him?"

"Well usually tributes can't talk to family, but I guess I can make an exception." He hands me the phone.

"Hey Tess. How you feeling?" Stephan asked me.

"Okay I guess. Nervous about all of this, but I'd rather it be me instead of Rue."

"Yeah I saw what you did for her. I thought it was really brave." I smiled.

"No what your tribute Finn did was brave. Volunteering to go in and protect his sister knowing that if she wins he's going to die. I don't know if I could ever do that."

"Hey since we're already bending the rules do you want to talk to him?" I smiled again. It will be nice to talk to someone that's not Ricky and not family.

"Sure." It's silent as he goes to find Finn and hands him the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi. I'm Tess. So we're going to by allies in the arena. That's pretty cool. Now I don't feel so alone." I hear him chuckle.

"Hey. I'm Finn. Yeah it's nice to know I have someone to help me with Angel. I want her to make it as far as she can." I understand completely.

"Well I have your back as long as you have mine. By the way what you did was really brave. I know you plan on dying in there to make her win. I don't know if I could ever do that."

"I never thought I would do it either, until I heard Angel's name called. That's when I knew I had to volunteer to protect her. No one else was going to."

"Well I will. I give you my word I will help protect both of you up until we get to the top 8. Then we slip up. Only go after each other if we're in the final 3. We go after each other first whoever wins decides Angel's fate?" I know it sounds harsh, but it's the sad truth of the matter. He's silent for a moment.

"It's a deal. If you beat me can you promise me one thing?" He's not going to ask me to kill myself is he?

"I'll have Stephan send you some sleep syrup. Give it to her and kill her quickly. I don't want her to feel pain. Can you do that for me?" Wow. He's such a sweet guy, in a twisted sort of way.

"I can do that. I hope it doesn't come to that though."

"Same."

"Promise me something?"

"Sure anything."

"Victors can go to the other districts. So if you or Angel wins, can you tell my parents I'm sorry and I love them." He falls silent again.

"I promise. Will you do the same in 4 if you win?"

"Of course." I can almost hear him smile. It's going to be 4 days before I can meet him in person. To be honest I'm really looking forward to it. He makes me feel safe and like I'm not on my own. "You and Angel will be my toughest kills, if it comes down to it. I don't know either of you yet, but I can tell this partnership can turn into a friendship."

"I feel the same way already. You're really nice and level headed considering the situation we're in." I get chills as he complements me. "I wish there could be 3 victors. Getting to know you is something I wish I had more time to do. A few weeks doesn't seem like enough." Is he flirting with me?

"I feel the same way." I giggle. I really want to get to know him more. He seems like such an amazing guy. We've only been talking for a few minutes and I already feel like he's my long lost best friend.

**I hope you like this chapter. As you may have noticed I am no longer putting the person's district. I figure they all have had enough mention that it will not only be faster for me, but clear for you all. Please review and let me know how this is working out. I'm working out some friendships and romances between the tributes. **


	13. Chapter 12 Train Ride Night 3

Train Ride Night 3

POV of Rose Styles

_On Train_

As I think about home and the people I left behind I begin to wonder I will ever see them again. I know I am going to try my hardest, but so are the other 23 tributes. Right now all I have for an alliance is elm. I'm hoping to find someone else to team up with. Elm walks into the sitting area.

"Hey Rose. Are you okay? You seem a little down." He asks sweetly. I see him as a little brother and it would hurt me deeply to have to kill him. I know it sounds bad, but I hope someone kills him in there. It will hurt me not seeing his smiling face around anymore , but it's better someone else than me. It will break my heart if I took his life.

"I'm just thinking."

"About the games?" I nod. "About what's going to happen to us?" It's scary how well we've come to know each other in the past few days. I nod again. "Rose can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can Elm." He hesitated for a moment. This is going to be bad.

"If it came down to it, would you be able to kill me?" FUCK!

"Elm I love you like a brother. I don't know if I could do it. I like the think I couldn't because of how close we've become, but if we make it to the final 2" I pause. "Only one of us can come home, and that means one of us has to die. I don't want you to kill you; I want to keep you safe." He looks relieved and sad at the same time. "What about you? Could you kill me?"

"No. I'm not strong enough to beat you, plus I see you as my older sister." He looks like he's about to cry. I get up and walk over to him.

"It's okay bud. I promise. It will all be fine." I hug him. I know it won't, but I can't tell him that. He's too scared. We both know I'm lying, but my reassurance seems to calm him some. Without me he will die, with me he will die. I want to protect him, but there is no real way to do so. Even so, I need to give him a fighting chance. "Come on. You need to get stronger. I want you to be able to handle your own once we reach the top 8."

"Okay. Let's go." I know when I see his face in the sky of the arena I will have a brief moment of weakness and I'll cry. If I am the one that kills him, he will be the one kill that will haunt me forever.

POV of Skylar Croft

_On Train_

Electra is going to be a fierce competitor. She works herself until she's close to collapsing. She skips every other meal so she can still get the calories from eating, but fasts enough so it won't be a drastic change in the arena.

"Who have you thought about for an alliance?" Trin asked Electra.

"The careers." Why doesn't that surprise me? She already acts like one.

"Well if that's really what you want you need to impress them during training. Don't overdo it though. If you collapse from exhaustion they're going to think you're weak. All of them are going to be strong so work on survival as much as you can. We got a letter saying that training has been changed around so we don't know what it's going to look or be like in there. All we know is you have 8 hours down there with an hour lunch break. Eat as many carbs as you can. It will give you plenty of energy. Stay away from the weapons you're skilled with after you prove to the careers that you're worth having." I tell her.

"But if I don't show off they won't team up with me." She doesn't get it.

"If you only focus on what you already know you'll be limited. It will show in the arena and you'll be the first they turn on. If you work on other weapons, survival skills, and some strength you'll be an asset. Remember that." I can tell she's not happy about it, but she nods to show she understands. "Now go work out some more. But take it easy this time." She runs off to the weight room. "I hope she wins."

"I do too." Trin replied. "She's strong. Plus if she wins you don't have to be a mentor anymore, and I'm one step closer to not having to do it either." She smiles. It's been 13 years since she replaced me as the female mentor. She was 12 when she won. No one thought she could do it, but I never gave up on her. Her talent was blow darts so it made it easy for her to hide in the trees or bushes and make a kill. The boy from 1 was celebrating his "win" when he instant kill blow dart came down and hit him in the neck. The cannon sounded and that was it. Trinity won. Since then the 2 of us have been close.

I was another long shot. I was in the 3rd quarter quell, 16 years old and up against more tributes than the games have ever had. The twist that year was not only were the typical tributes, but there were a pair of tributes from the ages of 19-25 and for an added twist 24 tributes from the Capitol. We later learned they were outcasts and criminals. Now the Capitol's version of criminal is not what the districts think of. They were mostly surgeons that embezzled money or messed up on multiple patients. A few psychopaths that tried to re-create the games in their neighborhoods, oh boy they were entertaining. They were all excited to be there until they were the ones being chased. After that it wasn't as much fun for them anymore. Of course the district tributes teamed up to kill off the Capitol tributes. First time all 12 districts worked together since the rebellion. I guess it was the Capitol's way of giving us a win so we wouldn't try anything. I won because I killed the mutt that was assigned to kill me and the other 3 tributes on the other hand. They weren't so lucky. I could hear their screams and pleads for help. I wanted to help, but if I did then I would have died. It was better them then me.


	14. Chapter 13 Train Ride Day 4

Train Ride Day 4

POV of Peeta

_On Train_

"Alright Ricky come on we need to get started. We only have a week and a half before you're thrown into an arena with 23 other teens that want to make it out. Now you know I want my niece to win, but that is not going to stop me from providing you with what you need." As we walk down the hallway I can tell his mind is elsewhere.

"Do you think Tess hates me?" I thought he was over what happened between them. I know I've tried to. It makes training him really hard knowing he hurt one of my favorite nieces. We arrive at the weight room. I turn to him.

"I doubt she hates you. I do know she's already in an alliance with the 2 from 4." He looks disappointed. I feel bad for him, but he made his choice. "Don't worry. They asked about you. I'm sure you could join in." That doesn't seem to reassure him. I put my hand on his shoulder and we enter the weight room. Unlike what I know the other mentors are doing, Ricky and I sit down on one of the machines to talk. Katniss and Tess stole the sitting area and we've all decided Haymitch and Ricky shouldn't be in the same room so the dining car was out. "So other than Tess who have you thought about for allies?"

"Not really. I think I might just go it alone. Who knows?" I wish he would focus more. At this rate he's going to die on the first day. Now that's something I have mixed feelings about. I hate watching my tributes die, but on the other hands Tess is my niece and I want her to come home. If she dies I will never be able to look Prim or Vick in the eyes again. I don't think Katniss would forgive herself. She still has nightmares about not making it to Rue on time and watching her die. I think she would snap if Tess doesn't make it home.

"Do you have any game plan?" He shakes his head. All I want to do right now is ring his god damn neck, but I keep my composure. "When you start training next week I want you to check people out. Reconsider having allies. They help a lot in the long run."

"Okay." He paused. "I want Tess to win. It's the least I can do for how bad I hurt her. I already love her and I thought the more time I spent with her, the worse it would get. But her ignoring me…that's made me miss her and want her more than I did before. I know her winning means my death, but I don't think I could live a life without her, without knowing what could have been." He reminds me of me. I remember telling Haymitch I wanted to keep Katniss alive at any cost.

"Listen. I want you to keep yourself alive. You can't make her odds better if you're already dead. So if you're insisting on dying I want you to take as many of the others out before you do." He nods. I'm glad he understands me. I want one of them to make it back. I'd rather it be Tess though. "Now we're going to have plenty more time to talk strategy and I want to take advantage of it. Trust me once you start working with Effie you'll miss the talking." And of course as I say this Effie comes in to inform us of lunch.

"It is nice to know how you really feel Peeta." She seemed hurt.

"Effie you know I didn't mean anything by it. All I was trying to say is this is the easiest part of the preparation. The etiquette was the hardest thing for me to get down. And you even said I was better off than some of the tributes before me." She looked skeptical at first. "I am sorry if I insulted you." Slowly a smile creeps across her face. Good, she's forgiven me. This would be hell if she was mad at me.

"Well it is time for lunch now so you better wrap it up and get down there. Haymitch is already eating and as usual he started with a glass of white liquor." I see her discontent in his addiction, but if everyone you loved was killed because of a choice you made, and now someone from your new family may be stolen from you I'm sure you'd drink a lot too.

POV of Finn

_On Train_

I forgot to shower last night so I jump in now. How am I going to make in into the final 3? I have Angel I need to watch out for. Thank god I have Tess to help me keep her safe. I know she's looking out for herself too and she needs to die for Angel to go back home. The thought of Tess dying does bother me. It hurts a little. I wish they both could win, than I could die happy knowing 2 people that are important to me are safe.

I thought I had plenty of friends in district 4, but when Stephan was the only one that visited me I realized I have never really been a part of any group. I let myself believe I had friends when I really didn't, but Tess, she's different. We don't even know each other and she's willing to risk her safety to help me protect my sister for as long as she can. She promised me that if she beat me she's kill Angel quickly and painlessly. If she plans on keeping her word; which I know she will, I owe her my protection. I owe her my life.

Once I volunteered I thought that the only person that could make me smile was going to be Angel. Seeing her happy was going to justify my decision. Hearing Tess' voice makes me smile though. Seeing how brave she was volunteering for her cousin makes me long to see her in person. She is so beautiful. I would give anything to have met her before this. She's never been to 4 though so it could have never happened. Stephan only met her when he traveled with his parents to see the Mellarks. During the summer they would go to 12 since it was nice up there then. The Mellarks came here during the winter. I met Rue, Taro, and Caramel then. Rue and Angel are the same age and became friends rather quickly. So I am grateful Tess volunteered for her. It would have killed Angel to see Rue's face in the sky, or worse to watch the life leave her body. Just another reason Tess is amazing. We talked for a while and I found out she has a lot of skills that will help with the games. Although you're not supposed to train (even though 1 and 2 clearly do) the Mellarks made sure their children, nieces and nephews were prepared. So Tess can use a bow, set snares, camouflage herself, and so much more. I can't believe how talented she is.

What am I doing? Thinking about Tess like this, I have to ensure her death. It still pains me to think of her death. I know she is the only one I will cry for, unless Angel dies, but I will do everything I can to keep that from happening.

I try to clear my mind of them both dying as I turn the water off. I dry myself with the electric machine the Capitol people use. I wrap a towel around my waist just in case an Avox is in my room. I made that mistake once already, both of our faces turn as red as her uniform. She tried to be professional though, and continued laying out cloths for me. The next day a male Avox was preparing my cloths. I wanted to apologize to her, but I haven't seen her since.

I feel the train come to a stop and I realize we're in the Capitol. I feel my stomach begin to turn as I dawns on me that the games begin in a little over a week. I finish getting dressed as I hear a knock on my door; before I have a chance to answer Angel barges in crying.

"What's wrong?" She runs to me and wraps her arms around my waist.

"I don't want you to die. I wish you could go home right now and send the boy that was reaped." She sobs. "You're going to kill yourself and it's all my fault." I run my fingers through her hair and I hold her close. Seeing her like this makes me feel guilty for coming, but I had no other choice. I couldn't stand back, watching her get on a train that would only bring her back in a small wooden crate. Seeing her die by the hands of another terrified kid or a ruthless killing machine. I needed to protect her, or avenge her; preferably the first one.

"It will all be okay Angel. You'll go home and can grieve with mom and dad. You can all help each other. What's important is you make it back." I wipe her tears and kiss her forehead. "Now the people are waiting for us. We shouldn't keep them waiting." I put on a fake smile to comfort her. It seems to work because she stops crying and grabs my hand.

POV of Slate

_In Capitol_

"Slate come on, we're going to go watch how pathetic the other districts did at the reapings." Onyx yelled to me. She was with Diamond and Titanium from district 1. I start to walk in their direction as the girls run off giggling. We've been spending a lot of time with them lately. Our mentors said that it's a good idea to develop a bound with each other before the games. They also told us alone that we can learn their weakness by how they act and we can only do that if we spend time with them. I know Chaos wasn't happy about me learning the weaknesses of the careers since I told him I probably won't be one of them, but if either Onyx or I wins he doesn't have to mentor anymore so he bites his tongue and is helping me as much as he can. He hasn't told the others about my desertion yet, which is beneficial for both of us. I know my district will hate me to not being a typical career, but all that matters is my siblings will be safe. I will take them with me to Victor's Village and leave my parents to think about how they destroyed their family.

I know that there are 23 other tributes all fighting for their survival, but I NEED to win. If I don't then Carrara and Paros will be forced to volunteer too. I don't want them to have to kill people to stay alive. I don't want them to be killed by blood thirsty maniacs. I want them to be safe. I know they could be reaped, but in our district there is never a shortage of volunteers.

I arrive at a waiting Titanium. "Can you believe them? They are acting like giddy school girls." He laughs. This is the first time I've seen him have any kind of emotion. I smiled even though their excitement disgusted me. I have to keep up the act until we're in the arena. The only way I will get good supplies without being killed is if they think I am with them. The Capitol should love that. There is always a blindside, but it's near the end. Having on in the beginning will give them a twist they've never had before.

I'm still not sure if I want to be alone or it I want to team up with someone. I'll figure it out in training.

POV of Katniss

_On Train_

I hear the phone ringing. Prim, Vick and the kids are staying in our house in Victor's Village.

"Hello?" Prim answers the phone.

"Hi Prim, I just wanted to call to check up on you guys."

"We're doing fine I guess, worried about Tess. Rue is beating herself up over Tess volunteering for her. Vick is with her now. Gale and Madge have been stopping by a lot, same with everyone else. Everyone is concerned. How is she doing?"

"She made some new friends. She's in an alliance with my nephew's friend and his little sister. We've broken the rules a little and let Tess and Finn talk. They've bounded quite a bit. She misses you all a lot though."

"I'm glad something good came out of this. Too bad only one of them can win, it's going to hurt the third a lot when the other 2 die." I could hear how sad she was. She isn't the kind of person to wish ill will to someone else, so you know this is hard for her. Obviously she wants her daughter to come home, but you can tell she has a problem with 22 other families losing their child or in the Black's case children. I feel so bad for them. When you watch the district 4 reaping you can hear the mother scream. It must have killed her knowing that both her babies were going into the sick, twisted massacre the Capitol calls entertainment. "Tell her we love her and the whole family is rooting for her. I haven't seen this much talk and excitement since your games." I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad sign.

"I'll tell her. I know she loves you very much. I have to go now. Tell the kids I love them and I'll be home in a month or so." I pause. "Primrose I love you, and I promise Peeta, Haymitch and I are going to do everything to get Tess back safely."

**From now on I will be posting alliances at the bottom of the page. They will obviously change as training goes on and when people begin to die. I hope you like it. Please review.**

**Careers: Diamond, Titanium, Onyx & Slate (for now)**

**Finn, Angel & Tess**

**Rose & Elm**

**Crisis & Scarlet **

**Alone: Eric, Riley, Carter, Faith, Electra, Falon, Calla, Hazel, Joseph, Gigot, Ricky, Garnet & Isis**


	15. Chapter 14 Train Ride Day 5

Train Ride Day 5

POV of Eric

_In Capitol_

My entire body hurts. I have been lifting weights, running on the treadmill and doing everything else I could to prepare myself for the arena. Every day after dinner Resin talks to me about strategy inside the arena, during the interview and during training. He told me how the training schedule has been changed, but to work with as many weapons as I can and to learn how to make snares, start fires and camouflage. He says that I should also pay attention to the plant person. The difference between life and death could be one little berry.

I appreciate the help he has been giving me and the advice Calla gave me. If it wasn't for her I'd still be mopping around feeling sorry for myself. With the attitude I had before there was and still no doubt in my mind I would have died the first day.

Resin comes walking in. "How's your body feeling?"

"Like my arms and legs are going to fall off."

"Okay. So I think you're good for physical training until next week. I want you to read."

"Read?"

"Yeah read. Study up on plants, and everything else you can get your hands on." I hate studying. But I guess if I don't I'll never have to again, because I won't be making it back.

"Okay. Taking a break from this won't be so bad." The more time that goes by the more nervous I get. I'm not sure if I am going to die or not, but I do know I am not going down without a fight.

POV of Crisis

_In Capitol_

Our floor seems like an upscale hotel floor. The dining room and sitting room are only separated by a platform and a half wall. Other than that the rooms are all separated. The kitchen is behind the dining room, and we're not allowed to be back there. My room and Scarlet's room are right next to each other, even though we don't use one of them. She stays with me, in my room.

The weight room on our floor is a lot like the one on the train. I've spent a decent amount of time in here since we arrived. I want to be able to protect Scarlet for as long as I can. I try not to think about what would happen if it gets down to the 2 of us. I don't think I could kill her and I doubt we would be as lucky as Katniss and Peeta were. Tristan walks into the room.

"Hey." He says calmly.

"Hi. Everything okay?"

"Yeah. I know you really care for Scarlet, but that could get you killed in there. She wants to go home too so this relationship could turn into a blindside pretty easily." I know what he's saying is true, but hearing him question Scarlet's motives infuriates me. I want to scream at him, make him regret doubting her feelings for me, but against all my instincts I keep my mouth shut. He is my life line so I need to listen to him even if I don't do exactly what he wants. Without his help my chances of winning are slim to none.

"I know you have a point. I know this could end badly for me. Although right now I can't listen to you. The attention I get from her is something I need. With all the pressure that's put on me, talking to her and being able to just sit there for hours makes me feel better about what's going on. I hope you understand, but I need her." I feel like I'm going to cry. I know I feel strongly for her, and I want to believe she feels the same about me. The reality of it ending soon tares me apart. He walks over to me and places a hand on my shoulder.

"I understand Crisis. I really do. I know how good it feels to not be alone." I'm glad he gets it. I don't want to be alone; I don't want the potential last moments of my life to be filled with emptiness. I'd rather suffer with the death of a friend or lover than live and feel nothing about what happened. If wanting to feel something causes my death at least I died living my life the best I could. At least I made an impact in someone's life, even if they die as well.

POV of Skylar

_On Train_

Today I decided to talk with Electra and try to figure out what she really wants to do in the arena. I need to figure out how we are going to get her sponsors. She needs to do really well in the private training session. Even if she does manage to be a career this year she still has to fend for herself at some point.

"Alright I know we touched up on it a bit the first day, but tell me in detail the things you feel good about going and the things you know you need to work on."

"Well I'm very confident in my ability with melee weapons. I do like swords, but I'm more into clubs and maces. I feel like I can do more damage from a heavy blow with a mace than a slicing someone with a sword."

"Alright, anything else?"

"Being a peacekeeper's daughter I was taught how to fight. We moved to 5 from 2 when I was 7 so I had a little bit of training there as well." Not bad. So she isn't limited to a weapon. That's really good. I can work with this.

"Okay. Now what are you uncomfortable with?"

"I know I over work myself. Outside of fighting I'm not very comfortable with much that goes on in the arena. I know I will have time to learn survival skills, but I am worried it won't be enough." Damn. So she really is a career, all brawn and no brain. This could end badly.

"This is what I want you to do then. There is a bookshelf in the sitting room. Read every survival based book there. I want you to have some knowledge going into training. Remember you need to catch the eyes of the careers or you're stuck on your own." She nods and runs off.

I look out the window and see the world passing me by. It's so fast that I begin to feel dizzy and need to walk away. I hate the train ride. It is long, it's secluded and it always leads to sadness. You're either going to die or kill, to watch someone die or kill, going home to face the families of the people who died or are traveling the nation with your tribute and have to face 23 families that lost their child.

I just want to get this whole thing over with. The train ride is almost as bad as sitting in the control room. Almost. I'd much rather this to be honest, but I hate the fact that I'm stuck on a train with 2 kids I may never see again.

**Careers: Diamond, Titanium, Onyx & Slate (for now)**

**Finn, Angel & Tess**

**Rose & Elm**

**Crisis & Scarlet **

**Alone: Eric, Riley, Carter, Faith, Electra, Falon, Calla, Hazel, Joseph, Gigot, Ricky, Garnet & Isis**


	16. Chapter 15 Train Ride Day 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games and a portion of the characters. The ideas and a majority of the characters are of my own creation.**

Train Ride Day 6

POV of Crystal

_In Capitol_

"It's nice to see the 4 of them are getting along well." Jezebel half laughs. I smile.

"It sure is. They're going to make a great team in there. They'll make it to the final four for sure. Then let the best tribute win." We all raise our glasses and take a sip of a morning cocktail the Avox boy brought for us. It was sweet and sour, and made me feel warm. I liked it a lot.

"So your boy Slate seems strong. I think he's going to be tough for Titan to beat." Nolan says smiling.

"He is strong. Going to be a real tough competitor." Chaos replies quickly. Okay that's weird.

"Are you all looking forward to the rest of the districts getting here? Once they're here the preparations for the opening ceremony can begin." Everyone nods. "12 is really lucky. They have that Cinna. He is so talented. I would kill to have him design my cloths.'

"I agree. He is brilliant." Jezebel chimes in. Over the last 4 years the 2 of us have gotten pretty close. Other than Nolan and Sheen she's the only person I really connect to. "So I noticed you 2 are sitting close again. After last year I didn't think I'd ever see it again. I still don't know what happened because someone wouldn't tell me, but it's great to see you guys acting close again." Nolan and I both blush. I didn't think it was that obvious that things became awkward between us. Nolan reaches over and grabs my hand. I feel myself growing a brighter shade of red. "Oh my god! Are you 2 dating?"

"Well not really, but we're sort of seeing each other I guess." I say nervously. Jezebel squeals in excitement.

"I know there was something between the 2 of you. I knew it." She yells. This is why I thought we were going to tell anyone until we were sure of this. I am still worried about the quarter quells. I love him with everything I have and I want nothing more than to be with him, but the thought of losing him makes me panic.

He gets up and stands behind my chair. Leaning down he whispers in my ear. "I am so in love with you Crystal. I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side. After the games I want to talk about us and what this could be." My hand goes over my mouth because I have no idea what to say. I am overwhelmed with a feeling I don't think I've ever felt before. I am happy. For the first time in my life I am truly happy.

POV of Stephan

_On Train_

"I know you guys tried to screw me over. Lured Finn to my room where Angel and I were sleeping. Whatever you thought happened didn't okay. I had a nightmare, she heard me screaming and then I comforted her until she fell asleep. That's all." I yelled. This has been the first alone time I've had with the girls since they mysteriously decided to talk about me outside Finn's door.

"We didn't mean anything by it Stephan. We thought something was going on and decided he had a right to know." Ambrosia said innocently.

"Well you almost made me lose my friend and Angel her only protector. I thought we were trying to keep them alive. I didn't know that we were trying to play mind games!"

"We're sorry Stephan. We really weren't trying to start trouble." I didn't believe them. I know they were trying to create a rumor. If it was supposed to be a rumor about a mentor and a tribute dating it would have benefited Angel in the long run. The Capitol people are suckers for a love story. My Aunt and Uncle are proof of that.

"Just stay out of my business from now on. I'm having a hard enough time as it is without any added problems. My best friend and his little sister are being sent to their deaths and I have to play a hand in it. I've already lost one person I love to this and now I have to watch at least one more parish. But this is all a game to you. Well this isn't a game for me. It's a nightmare!" I felt my blood begin to boil. This whole thing infuriates me. I want to hit them, but I don't. I'm not going to turn into the monster the Capitol tried to turn me into. I refuse to let them win more than they already have. Angel runs into the room.

"Is everything okay? I heard yelling." She asked as she walked over to us.

"Everything is fine Angel. I promise." I hugged her to reassure her. I don't like it when she is scared. When I step back and take a look at what the girls have said to me a question if I have feelings for Angel or not. I don't think I do, I see her as a little sister. I want to keep her safe. I want to bring her home more than anything. Finn is determined to sacrifice himself for her so my main priority has been to make sure they both don't die, to make sure he doesn't die for nothing.

POV of Rose

_In Capitol_

I wake up and for a moment I don't know where I am. As I look around I remember arriving in the Capitol yesterday. I must be in my room. Within the last week I have slept in 3 different beds. The Capitol made beds are intensely comfortable, but I can't wait to be in my own bed again. I miss it a lot.

The window in the room is pretty cool though. I use the remote and the scene changes. I like looking at the one of the woods. It makes me feel at home. If only they could make the room smell like the woods too. Then it would be perfect.

I look over at the clock and see I missed breakfast again. Still the only meal I haven't had, and it's starting to piss me off. I walk over to the wall panel that has the touch screen menu and order every breakfast item on the menu. It only takes a minute for the food to begin to come out the little "trap door". The sheer amount of food is amazing. Bacon, eggs prepared in more ways than I can count, 6 different kinds of omelets, toast with all sorts of spreads, 3 different kinds of sausages, French toast with cinnamon, pancakes and waffles. Back home I had omelets before, mostly with food that was about to go bad. It masked the spoiled flavor and made it so a little food went a long way. Eating these is a whole new experience. All the flavors are fresh, bright and bold. There is almost as much of the topping/ filling as there is egg. The spinach and cheese one was oozing with cheese. The French toast was moist on the inside and tasted like custard, and the outside was crispy. I tried a bite of it with each of the syrups. I liked the orange maple and the honey ginger the best. I try a bite of everything, and finish the things I like to begin with. After a while I became too full to eat it all. I picked at the remaining food, until it grew cold.

"Hey Rose are you okay? You haven't come out of your room." Elm asked, walking into my room. He looked around and saw the plates scattered around my room. "What have you been doing in here? Having a party without me?" He laughed. We both began to laugh uncontrollably. Before we know it we're both on the floor struggling to breathe.

Although it kills me knowing only one of us can come out of this, I am glad I came with him though. He makes me laugh, and makes me feel like life doesn't end with the reapings. I know I chose this, but it's not like I had much of a choice to begin with. The feast, the new house, the prizes and most of all the money is something I couldn't afford to pass up. Looking at Elm smiling makes me think of the way Maple and Jace look when they're playing. It makes me feel warm inside, remembering their smiling faces, their laughs.

I begin to think about when Lily was healthy. My heart aches at the thought of how beautiful she was before she got sick. Don't get me wrong I still believe she is beautiful, but her body is frail now. Bone showing, skin hanging off of them, her skin is pale and her hair matted from laying down all the time. She used to be so strong, and an incredibly fast climber. Now she's lucky if she can walk up a hill without feeling weak and winded.

She is my reason for risking my life. Seeing how much she has changed in the past year. I know if I don't win she will die within a year or 2. Knowing this I couldn't just stand by and watch. If I lose I hope Elm wins, because if neither of us wins Lily will die.

POV of Peeta

_On Train_

I pull Katniss close and hold her. As I kiss her neck I smell the soft sweet scent of strawberries. She must have used the strawberry shampoo this morning. She knows it's my favorite. "I love you Katniss Mellark." I whisper gently in her ear. I feel her body tense as she turns her head to look at me. Her smile lights up the room and brings one to my face as well.

"I love you too Peeta." She paused. "It's hard to think it's be 21 years since those nights in the cave. I remember that first kiss that made me want more. Before then I never wanted a family. To risk bringing children into a work that sacrifices them for entertainment." Her body tensed again, this time unlike before. When I look at her face I see her eyes clenched shut. I pull her closer to me and run my fingers through her hair.

"Katniss, it's okay. It's been over for over 2 decades." I pause. She is still stuck in a flashback from our games. "Baby, you're okay. We made it out." She begins to mumble something. I lean my head in to try to hear here.

"No Cato. Please don't. Don't kill him." I see tears running down her face. "Cato please don't hurt Peeta." And then she lets out a blood curdling scream. "Peeta! No!" I turn her around and place my hands on her cheek.

"Katniss, I'm here. We made it out alive. We got married a year later. We have 3 beautiful children." She begins to shake. "Katniss snap out of it!" Suddenly her eyes shot open. When she sees me tears well up in her eyes again, but a look of relief came across her face. Before I could react her arms were around the back of my neck and she was crying on my shoulder.

"I saw you fall. Cato pushed you off the cornucopia before I could shoot his hand. He smiled the way he always did, with the sadistic look in his eyes. That smile never left his face as I aimed for his head. I could still hear your screams as he fell backwards to the mutts below. I heard you being ripped apart." She sobbed. I slowly ran my fingers through her hair and rocked her back and forth to calm her.

"It was a twisted flashback sweetheart. That's all it was I promise." She looked at me strangely. I knew that would get a reaction out of her. Haymitch has called her sweetheart from day one. She started out hating it, but over the years she has accepted it as a term of endearment. He is the only one that gets away with that little nickname.

"Sweetheart? Really?" She looked at me and smiled. "You always know how to get me back to myself." I pride myself on that talent. Before the games the only person that really knew her was Gale. He loved her, just as I did, but after we came back we became closer. She didn't love me at first. It was more like a crush then, but before the end of the victory tour she told me she loved me. At a meeting in the Capitol I asked her to marry me. That just made everyone's year. We married right before the Quarter Quell. It's hard to believe it's been 20 years since the best day of my life.

"I'm your husband. It's my job." I smile, which causes her to smile too. She leans in and gives me a kiss.

"And I love you for it." She looks down. "We arrive in the Capitol today." She sighs. "Just over a week and Tess is fighting for her life." I feel tears on my leg. I hate this just as much as she does. I love Tess and I am grateful she volunteered for my little girl. I don't know what I would do if it was her here. Prim must be dying inside right now. Not knowing if her daughter is going to come home again. But I owe it to her to bring her daughter home. I owe Tess too.

"We will help her. Stephan will help her. She's strong. We've been trying to prepare them from the moment they could walk and talk. With me, you, Gale and Tess teaching her everything she knows, she will do great when she reaches the top 8. As long as Angel and Finn aren't the last 2 standing between her and home I know she can do it."

"But what if it is them?"

"Then she won't go down without a fight." Katniss clings tight to me. We don't talk anymore after that. We just sit there and hold each other, knowing that this year could turn out hurting us more than any other year. It's sad that we feel that way that those other teens' lives didn't mean as much but they weren't related to us, Tess is.


	17. Chapter 16 Train Ride Night 6

Train Ride Night 6

POV of Tess

_In Capitol_

As the train slows to a stop I wonder what the other tributes felt at this moment. Arriving in a place so far from home, knowing you might die and all these people will be watching and cheering. Part of me hates myself for volunteering, but I knew it had to be done. Everyone would have targeted Rue for being a victor's kid. She is too young to fight off 23 people that are trying to get her out of the way first. I couldn't let that happen. I have had a significant amount more training than she has.

Aunt Katniss, Uncle Peeta and Uncle Haymitch come into my room. "Come on kiddo, we're in the Capitol." Uncle Haymitch says as he stands at the door.

"Tomorrow you get to meet Finn and Angel, and you get to see Stephan and all the other victors again." Aunt Katniss explains.

"I want to meet Finn and Angel now."

"You mean you want to meet Finn." Uncle Peeta laughs. That's not fair. I stick my tongue out at him.

"No I want to meet them both. They are going to be my allies after all." They all smile at me as if they know something I don't. Adults can be so strange. Too bad I might not make it to that age to find out. I get off my bed and walk out the door. I know where I'm going up until I reach the door. Ricky is already standing there. An Avox beckons us both over and then we see why. Almost like it is second nature to them my Aunts and Uncles line up, first Effie and Haymitch stand side by side, right behind them stand Katniss and Peeta. The same Avox grabs my arm gently and places me behind my Aunt, and Ricky behind my Uncle. She smiles at Katniss and she smiles back. It's as if they have a relationship, like they knew each other before the games. As I look forward the thought of the arena grows stronger, but my fear seems to dissipate. I see my Aunt and 2 Uncles who have come out of the games. They taught me what they did to survive. On top of that my mom and grandmother have taught me a lot about healing plants and my Uncle Gale has expanded on what Katniss taught me about hunting. Her bow skills are what saved her and Peeta, but if I don't have a bow I can rely on my tracking and trapping knowledge for food. I'm sure they will have a bow for me once they see how good I am with it. Even if I was terrible being the "girl on fire's" niece they would probably throw it in to see where I stack up against my own family.

The waiting is starting to make me anxious, when the door opens. We are flooded by flashing lights and people screaming. Most of the questions are directed at Katniss and Peeta because of their 20th wedding anniversary. It's a shame I won't be able to make it. I so badly wanted to be there. I would have a chance to see my mom and dad again.

At the end of the slim walkway is a long black car. I haven't seen many cars before, but because of this experience I've been in one. Only the wealthy get those, but event the wealthy in 12 are out of luck for this luxury. 12 is the poorest district there is and the higher class families there are middle-lower class everywhere else. I know the rest of nation looks down upon us, but that doesn't bother me. We have the least amount of security; we have our traditions and most of all despite our lack of EVERYTHING we are a fun loving, happy people. We know that life can end tomorrow so we try to live like there isn't one. We work hard, we study hard and we play hard. It's the one thing the Capitol can't take for us. So as I walk past the endless sea of photographers, reporters and camera men I hold my head high. I may not have much left anymore, but I still have my pride.

Ricky and I follow Katniss and Peeta into the car. When I get inside I realize it's much bigger than it looks. "It's called a bus. Well now it is at least. I guess our ancestors called it a limo. Isn't it wonderful?" Katniss asked. Ricky and I nod.

"The teams from 5 and 6 will be here early tomorrow. District 4 will be joining us for breakfast at 8:30 do be up and ready. At 10:00 we will be going to the lobby and awaiting our bus. I have made arrangements for 4 to ride with us. We will be arriving at President Snow's mansion around 10:45. You will have a chance to meet the other tributes then." Effie pauses. "Tomorrow is going to be a busy, busy day so I expect you to go straight to bed after dinner."

"Of course Aunt Effie. I wouldn't dream of messing with your schedule." I say politely. Her face lights up.

"You're manners have improved since Christmas. I am very pleased by this."

"Effie let them be kids. It's the least we can do considering what's going to happen." Haymitch says putting his finger in Effie's face. So much for the no drinking until Tess goes to bed thing. Oh well. He lasted a week. That's a whole hell of a lot longer than I had expected. Effie's face turns red and she glares at him. This is how their relationship works. She says something and he argues or the other way around. I don't see them act nice much. When I do it's more civil than nice. They avoid each other at all cost, but when they do run into each other they exchange pleasantries and take off in separate directions.

POV of Slate

_In Capitol_

At dinner I more or less pick at my food. Since I realized tomorrow is the day I meet the rest of the tributes I lost my appetite. Onyx on the other hand has probably eaten her own body weight in meat, vegetables and who knows what else. She's been talking up a storm. District 1 is joining us for dinner, which makes both me and Chaos feel a bit uneasy. He's still the only one that knows I am not sticking with the careers for long. By the end of the first day in the arena I will have a backpack full of supplies and I'll be as far away from their camp as possible.

"Slate you feeling okay? You haven't talked much and your plate looks more like you've been pushing the food around." Titanium asks. He's not a horrible guy, but his enthusiasm for the games disgusts me. I smile anyways.

"Yeah I'm fine. Don't want to get too used to food before going into the arena you know. It will make not having much food a lot easier." He laughs.

"We're careers remember. We'll have all the supplies expect what's around the edges. Some of that will get taken by the cowards that run." Him, Onyx and Diamond begin to laugh. Shortly everyone but me and Chaos are laughing.

"Stop laughing!" He shouts. "Being too cocky is what's gotten so many of the past tributes killed. You want to laugh at the other district go right ahead. But sometimes those cowards end up slitting the throats of the best of us. NEVER! AND I MEAN NEVER, UNDERESTIMATE YOUR OPONENT!" He takes a deep breath and then drinks some water. The room grew silent.

"May I be excused?" Chaos nods and I leave. Why does he always save my ass? I know I'm his tribute, but he could rat me out and focus on Onyx. It would be easier. There has to be a reason he's keeping quiet for me. Is he trying to make sure I win? No. That can't be it. Once I desert the other the whole nation will know not every "career" is blood thirsty. Wait could that be it? Does he want them to know that we're not all the same?

As I reach the door to my room I have a million questions racing through my head, and not a single answer. Who knew the mind games would start before the killing did? I sure as hell didn't.

POV of Katniss

_In Capitol_

The smell of blood and roses fills my nose. For a moment it is almost unbearable.

"Welcome Katniss, Peeta. Please take a seat." A frail old man says, as we sit on a small couch. It's hard to think that 21 years ago this harmless looking old man was the only person I really feared. Snow has changed with age. Even with the surgeries you can see he is edging closer and closer to death. It won't be much longer now. Once he is gone I'll miss his snake like eyes that pierced through me. He was the only one that knew my love for Peeta wasn't genuine. And he was also the first person to know when it was. The scary part is he knew before I had even realized it. With Snow there was no pretending. There was still a great hatred in my heart for him, but he was one of the few people in the Capitol I could be myself around. The thought of a new President worries me. "How have the 2 of you been?"

"Fine. Now Snow we all know you didn't invite us here for small talk. What is so important it couldn't wait for tomorrow?" I ask bluntly. He smiles.

"Now that's the fire we all know and love." He coughed a little and I could see the small specks of blood on his napkin. "I asked the 2 of you here to get your opinion on something. As you know we were going to have your anniversary party on the second or third day of the games to give the tributes a break from the twists as you requested." I nod. "Well it seems to me that it would be better fit to have the party before the games so your niece could be there." My eyes lit up, but I stayed silent. "It was brought to my attention that with her in the arena you wouldn't be enjoying yourself, and we wouldn't want people to think I am a bad host." He turns to Peeta and I. "Although it would be unfair that the girl could see her family and the other be left without. So to show my compassion I have 21 invitations here. One for each family, minus your sister who is already attending. I needed to know from the 2 of you if it was fine to move up your party and to invite these other families." He smiled at me. I knew he was trying to regain some control over me. But at this moment I could care less. I want Prim to see Tess one more time. Just in case it's the last. Tess deserves to see them smiling as her last memory. I look at Peeta and he nods.

"We agree Snow. I have one request." I pause as he leans in, intrigued by this. "I would like you to announce it tomorrow, when you announce the changes to the training schedule. He nods.

"That is simple enough. You may leave now." Peeta and I stand up, and calmly walk out the door. We wait until we reach the car to show our excitement.

"Peeta I can't believe it. Prim is going to be so happy." I hug him.

'I know he is only looking out for himself, but for a moment it almost seemed like Snow cared about how we felt."

"I think he does. But he can't show too much favoritism. That could cause problems." The only way these games could get any better is if they were canceled, or Tess won. I know the first will never happen, but a girl can dream right?

**Careers: Diamond, Titanium, Onyx & Slate (for now)**

**Finn, Angel & Tess**

**Rose & Elm**

**Crisis & Scarlet **

**Alone: Eric, Riley, Carter, Faith, Electra, Falon, Calla, Hazel, Joseph, Gigot, Ricky, Garnet & Isis**


	18. Chapter 17 Train Ride Day 7 Part 1

**Sorry it's taken a little while for me to update. So this is the last chapter in the "train ride" section, although the characters I am going to be writing about are in the Capitol. By the 3****rd**** POV all the tributes will be in the Capitol and listening to President Snow's special announcement. **

Train Ride Morning 7

POV of Finn

I suddenly realize I'm in that in-between period, when you're still asleep but beginning to have awareness of the world around you. I hear the hushed sounds of the Capitol in early morning. I roll onto my back, open my eyes and stare at the ceiling. Today is the day the last few tributes arrive. They should be here soon. President Snow has invited all the tributes, the mentors and the escorts to his mansion for some sort of announcement, and well for the Victors to reunite. I guess it's for the tributes to meet as well.

I look over at the clock to see its 7:30. I have some time before I need to get up, but I decide to anyway. I want to look my best for breakfast, I am meeting 3 (of many) Hunger Games legends after all. Today is the day I meet my new friend and ally, Tess. We've talked on the phone a lot the past few days, and I'm beginning to get nervous about meeting her.

Walking into the bathroom I look in the mirror. I want to get a good look at myself now so if I win, I can tell the difference between me and the monster that comes out of the arena. I have seen plenty of people cringe at the site of what they've done, cried even. I won't be one of those people. Unless I kill Tess, then I might cry. Angel's death will make me die on the inside, and then a little more with each mention of it, each clip. But I will not show them how bad they hurt me. I will swallow the sorrow until I am alone. They will not have the satisfaction of watching me suffer. I promise myself now that no matter what happens I will be strong.

I reach my hand in the shower to see if the water is hot yet. It stings, but I make it hotter before stepping in. I want to burn away my fragile nature. I stand there for a while without doing anything. After a while I hear a knock on the door. "Yeah?"

"It's Stephan. I was coming in to check on you. It's almost 8:00 so you need to hurry up. If we are late Effie will throw a fit." Who's Effie? Oh yeah. She's the escort from 12. Why would she be upset if we were late? Oh well, better finish up in here.

"Be out soon." I quickly wash up, not bothering to use any of the fancy buttons. As I step put I become nervous again. I'm not sure why the thought of meeting Tess gets me this way, yeah she's my ally right now but if we make it far enough she'll be my competitor. Just like before the thought of killing her or her being killed in general makes me feel really depressed. I don't want her to die. If I could make it happen, Angel and Tess would win I would be able to die without any worry. I know if I die Tess will protect Angel for a while, but I also know when it comes down to it she wants to go home. We made a deal about how she'll kill Angel if it comes down to it. That is when I knew that Tess was really my friend.

Getting dressed was almost a blur for me. So many emotions are going through my head that when I reach my bed and see what was picked out for me I just stare at it for a while. Slowly I slide the pants on and sit down next to the shirt. All I want to do is cry at the thought of losing my sister and my new friend. Before this I already hated the Capitol, but now I want to have a killing spree right here. I want them to pay for making me suffer like this.

Then I think back to last year, and watching Stephan. He went into the games with his girlfriend and planned to do what I am doing for Angel. Unfortunately they were ambushed while she was on watch and he was sleeping. He woke up to her screaming, killed one of the other tributes and turned to see her bleeding out. She was slashed from her stomach to just below her neck. He went pale white. Being as devoted to her as he was he held her until she passed on. Once that happened he screamed and vowed to win to avenge her, and he did.

If Tess and Angel die I will avenge them. I swear to that.

Stephan walks in again. Instead of harping at me to finish getting ready he sits down next to me. "Are you okay?"

"I'm really not sure. I started thinking about Angel dying and then I started to think of Tess dying. The more I tried to forget it the more I saw it happening. I want them both to win. I don't want either of them to die. I came here thinking I wouldn't care about anyone but my sister and now the thought of someone else dying makes me have chest pains. I have no idea what's going on."

"I think you found yourself an arena fling. Which I have no idea how I really feel about it, she is family to me after all. Finn I don't want you to stress about this too much. You still have a little over a week before you're in there and if you guys go about it the right way you have at the very least a week in the arena where you don't have to worry about losing them. You could have longer, you don't know. Try to focus on survival okay?"

"I think you're wrong about the fling. We're just friends. After volunteering you're the only one that came to see me so I realized I don't have as many friends as I thought I did. So having someone that cares about my survival, about Angel's survival, it makes things easier. It makes me feel important and cared for. I don't want to lose that." I feel like I'm going to cry again. I think he can tell because e goes silent. I stand up and hands me my shirt.

"We need to leave soon. I know Tess is just as excited to see you as you are to see her." That made me feel a little bit better. I finish getting dressed and walk out into the hallway. Angel is already there.

"I was worried you were going to back out. You've been so excited about meeting her I thought you might not show up." She giggled. I smiled and hugged her.

"Why would I ditch her? She's going to help me keep you alive. I need to stay on her good side you know." Angel smiled, but her eyes flashed with guilt and sadness. I know my death is going to be hard on her, but I would rather be the one that dies.

The elevator ride was longer than the one from the lobby to our floor, but surprisingly quick. When the doors opened I was a gigantic open room with windows all down the front of it. They really do pamper 12 here. They are the poorest district, they have one of the longest train rides and more often than not they lose. So I think this floor is the Capitol trying to make them happy and keep them in line.

Katniss and Peeta turn the corner, and smile at us. "Stephan you've gotten so big. I'm so sorry we didn't go visit you last year. We figured you needed some time after the horrors of your time in the arena." Katniss says hugging him.

"It's alright Aunt Katniss. I did need that time." He looked down to the floor. "I still miss her a lot." He paused. "It's hard you know. Not having her around anymore. For a little while I was upset with the 2 of you; jealous that you had each other." Katniss and Peeta look sad, but I can tell they understand.

"Don't worry bud, we get it. We really do." Peeta said, putting his arm around Stephan's shoulder. "I don't know how I would survive without your Aunt." Katniss turns to me.

"So I bet you want to meet Tess." I nod and she smiles. Peeta heads off to wake up Tess and the others. Katniss turns to Angel. "And you must be Angel. You're so pretty. I think Cinna would die to have you as a tribute. Maybe we can see if he can work with your stylist to make sure you look your best." A huge smile comes across her face.

"That would be awesome. Cinna is my favorite stylist." Angel says bouncing up and down. I love seeing her happy like this. She is so important to me and I want her to have as much fun as she can while we're here.

"So how do you like the Capitol so far?" Effie asked.

"It's different." I said. I didn't want to talk bad about where she's from but I truly hated it. "It's going to take some getting used to." An Avox girl came in and motioned for us to sit around the large table. The mentors and escorts talked, and every once in a while Angel would chime in but I walked in silence. Just before we sat down Ricky and Haymitch walked in.

"Stephan, it's been a while. How do you feel about being a mentor?" Haymitch asks.

"It's hard. Not sure what's harder; bring in the arena or preparing someone else to go in it."

Haymitch half laughed, laugh sighed. "Wait until you're in the control room. That's the real difficult part." Peeta comes out and smacks him upside the back of the head.

"The poor boy has been through enough as it is. Don't make this any harder on him." He turns to me. "Tess will be out in a minute. She wants to look her best for meeting the rest of the tributes and President Snow." He winks at me. My face feels hot and I begin to get nervous again. Why does this keep happening? I sit down next to Angel. The seat on the other side of me is left open though. We are brought a few bowls of warm bread and Peeta goes on to explain how at their first lunch during training he told Katniss about the different district breads.

"You look so beautiful Tess." Haymitch says with a smile. Look up and see Tess standing in the doorway. She really did look beautiful. She was wearing a cute light pink, low v-neck shirt with a skirt that went just above her knees. A piece of her hair on each side was pulled back into a small pony tail to give her a very innocent look.

"Thank you Uncle Haymitch." She smiled. Once again I got nervous. Seeing her standing in front of me, made me question if what Stephan said earlier was true. I don't think I care for her like that, I barely know her. She looks over at me and my heart feels like it's in my throat. "Hi."

I stand up and pull out the chair next to me. "Hi, you look great." My eyes are focused on her when I realize everyone else's are focused on me. She smiled and walks over to the chair. As she sits I push it in a little and sit back in my seat. I look around the room to see everyone smiling at me. I feel my face getting hot again.

Soon the tables around the edge of the room are filled with all sorts of breakfast foods. Peeta stands and then helps Katniss and Effie up from their chairs. I do the same for Angel and Tess. I see Stephan say something to the Mellarks, but I'm not sure what. It seems to both delight and sadden them though.

Breakfast goes by rather quickly. Tess and I get to know each other a bit more. I found out that right now she's an only child, but her mom is pregnant now. She never thought she would ever volunteer, but felt the urge to the second her younger cousin was reaped. I completely understood that.

The whole time we talked I couldn't get over how real she was. Usually girls that look like her are stuck up and too good for everyone else.

I never had the problem of girls not wanting me. It was me that didn't want them. They were all very beautiful, but none of them had anything real about them. They felt entitled to my love because they're pretty. Well that's not how it works. I want a girl that knows who she is, loves who she is, but doesn't think she deserves everything without working for it. I want a girl that will get to know me, that will love me for more than my looks.

I tell Tess about district 4 and ask her about 12. They really are worlds apart. 4 is lush and green, with sandy beaches, tall seaside cliffs and open ocean. From the way she describes 12 it's a barren, dull, dingy place. I kind of have mixed feelings about it. On one hand it sounds depressing and horrible, but then when she talks about the determination of the people and how they try to find the bright side in every circumstance I want nothing more than to go there.

After breakfast she shows me around the floor. "Isn't it beautiful?" She asks, looking out the window. I walk over next to her and look out.

"Yeah, it's amazing. I wish I could have come here under better circumstances."

"Same. I think about our alliance a lot, and how one of our families will be devastated. If Angel wins both our families will be upset, because both of us will be dead. I hate this." She begins to cry. I put my arms around her and pull her close to me. I feel bad for her.

"It will be okay Tess. I will keep you and Angel safe for as long as I can. I want to see you both win. I don't want either of you to die." I hold her until she stops crying. I hear a knock on the door and Haymitch walks in. He sees that I am trying to comfort Tess so he doesn't speak. He motions to me that we need to get going and then he leaves. "Hey, look at me." I say lifting her chin. "Stephan told me that we have about 2 weeks before we really need to worry about that. So let's try not to think about it." She nods. "We would get going though. So let's wash off your runny make-up and put some more on." I smile at her and it makes her smile as well. Seeing her smile makes me feel more at ease. We head into the bathroom to fix her up when Effie comes in.

"Tess, Finn let's go. We're going to be late." She says as she barges in. She notices Tess looks like she has been crying. "What did you do to my poor niece?"

"He didn't do anything Effie I promise. I started to miss my mom and he comforted me." I guess she didn't have the heart to tell her she's scared. I'm not sure if Effie believed her, but she didn't question it.

"Well we need to get going." We both nod and follow her out to the elevator. When we reach the elevator we realize not all of us are going to fit. "Okay the Escorts and Mentors will go down first. Wait a minute before pressing the button so we can start to go down. Come right down okay."

"Well will." Ricky says. As the doors close and we wait Tess looks at me.

"Thanks for holding me. I needed it. This past week has been really hard for me." She whispers.

"No problem." I reply. She smiled at me and I smile back. I hope I don't have to kill her in the arena. But I do vow to kill her killer. Just then I feel her hand brush against mine. I open my hand instinctively. Her hand slowly slides into mine. I don't look up at her in fear of embarrassing her or myself. I'm not sure if Stephan is right or not, but I know that even if this is nothing the stability I feel right now, holding her hand makes me feel like my life is still worth something. I feel happy.


	19. Chapter 18 Train Ride Day 7 Part 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games or a portion of the characters. They belong to Suzanne Collins. I do own the details and a majority of the characters are of my own creation. I hope you enjoy.**

Train Ride Day 7

Part 2

POV of Skylar

When I check on Electra to make sure she's getting ready I see she's not even in her room. For a moment I begin to panic before I realize its Electra, she's probably in the gym. So I walk down the hall and to the small gym we have on our floor. When I open the door sure enough she's in there.

"You need to get ready. This is your first time meeting everyone. No being late. So come on lets go." I say. She gets up, but something seems different about her. "Are you okay?" I place my hand on her shoulder.

"I'm a little nervous about meeting the careers and everyone else. Some of the others looked pretty tough and I'm worried the careers won't accept me."

"Are you kidding me? You lived in 2, moved to 5 because your dad id a peacemaker. You trained as much as you could and you volunteered. If you ask me you're already a career, you just need to make them see that too." She smiled. For the first time since the reaping I see her like every other tribute I've mentored. She has something to prove and most importantly, she wants to leave that arena as a victor not a corps.

"Thanks. It means a lot knowing you believe in me. I know that our district doesn't really like careers, but I have to make my father proud. I was brought up in 2 where the games are loved. I've always dreamed of volunteering and making my family proud. When we moved to 5 those feelings didn't change. I'm still a career at heart." She hugged me. I've spent a week with this girl, and this is the first time she's opened up to me and showed any real emotion. It made helping her that much easier. I want one of them to win. Electra or Carter, either way I get to enjoy myself at home, only going to the Capitol for special occasions and quarter quells.

"You're welcome. I am not here to judge you. The Capitol and Panem will be doing enough of that." I smile at her. "Now it's time to get dressed. If you didn't eat breakfast that's fine, President Snow will have something set up." She runs off to get ready.

Now it's time to make sure Carter is up. I told Kel and Trin I'd take care of it. They had a long night talking to sponsors so I wanted to make sure they got some sleep this morning. Carter's room isn't too far away from the gym. When I reach his room I knock on the door. There's no answer, so I knock again, still no answer. Alright I'm not going to wait out here all day. I walk in to find him still in bed. I told them last night to be up and ready. But of course they didn't listen to me. Well I'll teach him to ignore me. Slowly I walk up to his bed and gently rock him, still nothing. Okay I've given him enough "warning", time to do this my way. I stand on the side of the bed that's close to the window. I bend down and place each hand an arm's length away from me, under the mattress. Alright, one, two, three, I flip the mattress over and send Carter face first to the floor. He jumps up, looking around.

"Nice to see you awake on time." I pause. "Next time you'll listen to me when I say something to you. Now get dressed. We're leaving in 10 minutes." He stared at me wide-eyed. I'm not sure if he understands what just happened, but I bet when he wakes up more he'll know not to disobey me again.

POV of Crisis

Today we are going to meet the other tributes. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I don't want to get to know the people I am going to try to kill and that are trying to kill me. Scarlet it the only tribute I need to know. Tristan told us last night that we needed to dress nice though because we're meeting President Snow and some other important people.

"How do I look?" Scarlet asked twirling around in a sweet lavender dress. She looked amazing, like always.

"Baby you took breathtaking." I smile. "You always do." Looking at her right now makes me happy. Knowing she is mine and all mine makes this whole thing a little less scary. "How do I look?"

"Like the most handsome man in Panem." She says sweetly. I give her a skeptical look. "Well that's what you look like to me." She laughs. I love this girl. I know I do.

I also know that arena romances almost never work out. In 95 years there has only been one couple to come out of the arena the same year, Katniss and Peeta Mellark. They gave the districts hope. It proved that we're not always powerless, and that the Capitol isn't completely bad, just 99% bad with a very small heart.

I'm not looking forward to meeting the President or the Gamemakers. They are the people that come up with the twists that kill the tributes. Well they're the ones that put them in the arena, the scientists come up with the mutts.

The mutts are the worse part. Animals and insects that are 5 to 100 times their actual size, the classic carnivorous squirrel, extra bloodthirsty wolves and anything else that not only attack the tributes, but keep the viewers up at night as well. I get chills just thinking about it.

"Baby what are you thinking about?" Scarlet asks.

"The arena." I reply. With that we both go silent. We know this romance won't last very long; we've talked about it a little bit. That's when we agreed to not let that stop us from having a good time together. Our time is so limited that we can't limit it even more. I look over at her and see she's about to cry. "Don't worry. I'll protect you. I promised you that already. We'll be together for as long as we can. If we get to the final 2 we'll take it from there. But let's not think like that right now. It will take away from the small amount of time we have left." A single tear rolled down her cheek and dripped off her chin. Seeing her cry breaks my heart every time.

"Okay." She paused. "If things were different; ff we both could win would you stay with me?"

"Of course I would. I love you, and the only thing the arena can do is bring us closer." She smiled again, which made me smile. "Scarlet if that could happen I wouldn't want to spend any time away from you. I'd want to share the good times with you, since nothing could beat out being in the arena. Well I guess our kids…." I stop. Scarlet is just looking at me. She's as shocked as I am that I just said that. "Sorry." I cast my eyes down to the floor. I hear her footsteps as she walks over to me.

"You'd want kids with me?" I don't know how to answer that to be honest. I shrug. "I wouldn't mind." I look up to see her face bright red. I grab her hands and smile at her. I've never smiled this much in my whole life.

"I would love it if we could. I would want to spend forever with you." As I say it her eyes light up and the biggest smile creeps across her face. Her smile could light up a room. I know it lights up my heart.

Hand in hand we walk out to the elevator. When Tristan sees us he rolls his eyes and smiles. I think he's beginning to warm up to us.

"Nice to see the love birds out of their cage." He jokes. The 3 of us laugh while Cecelia just stared. "You look beautiful Scarlet."

"Thank you." She says giving him a twirl. "I'm excited to meet everyone tonight."

"Then should we get going?" Cecelia asked.

"Yeah." I replied. "I want to show off this beautiful girl to the world." I winked at Scarlet. This made her turn her head and blush. She's so cute when she's embarrassed.

POV of Stephan

I know very few people here. There is everyone from 12 aside from Ricky who I met this morning, obviously my district, Wiress and Beetee from 3, Johanna and Blight from 7, Cecelia and Tristan from 8, Seeder and Chaff from 11, I kind of know Jordan from 11 too and then I know Chaos from 2 a little. He and my father got close the past few years. I met him a few times when he came to 4 to visit. So I guess I know more than I thought I did.

The only ones I'm close with are Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch, Effie and Johanna. Johanna is like a second mother to me. She comes around and helps out a lot when my mom goes into her fits. There have been months where she has lived in 4 with us and took care of me. Seeing her here makes me feel less anxious about being in the control room.

"Is that my favorite nephew?" She yells across the room, as she begins to walk our way. I smile.

"Yeah Aunty it's me." I say wrapping my arms around her. Although I am about her size she picks me up effortlessly.

"How are you?" She asked putting me down. She's the only Victor that came and saw me after I won last year. I looked down to the floor and watched as a tear hit in between my feet.

"Better than I was last year around this time. I still have some really bad days. The nightmares haven't gone away at all. Actually they're worse now." She looked at me sympathetically. "My tributes are 2 people I grew up with." My words slapped her in the face. It seemed like she was just as devastated as I was when I saw them standing on the stage in front of me.

"I'm so sorry." She says hugging me. When she looked up and saw Katniss and Peeta standing behind me a devilish smiled crept across her face. "Peeta you look even better than you did at Christmas." She said wrapping her arms around him and pressing her body close to his.

"Why thank you." He laughed. I looked over to Katniss and saw he face turning bright red. I wasn't sure if it was out of embarrassment or anger, but it seemed to satisfy Johanna.

"Oh Katniss I didn't see you there behind these 2 stunning young men." She smiled "innocently" as she placed an arm across mine and Peeta's shoulders. I could see fire in Katniss' eyes. Well that answers my previous question. She reached over and pulled Peeta's arm. He obediently stepped next to her and put his arm around her waist.

"I see you still haven't grown up Johanna." Katniss snapped. I could see this conversation going south real fast so I decide to walk away before it turned into a 2 women war.

"I'll see you both a little bit later. I have other people to say hi to." I say politely. I'm not even sure they heard me, but I walked away anyway. As I wander around saying hi to everyone I know and introducing myself to those I don't I hear the Capitol Anthem begin.

The haunting sound sends chills down my spine as I remember seeing the faces of the other tributes in my games in the sky each night. Their lifeless eyes staring down at me, right into my soul, their smiles reminding you of the life that was taken and the family that is sobbing at their loss. I knew each face I saw meant one step closer to my own victor or demise, but it still saddened me. All accept one, the bitch that took my world from me, the girl from 1. The one tribute I enjoyed killing, and wanted to watch the suffering in her eyes as the life slowly, and I mean SLOWLY, slip from her body. I basked in her pain long after it stopped. Knowing I got revenge for my love's death made that last kill bearable.

As the song finished President Snow walked into the room. "Welcome everyone, to the 95th Hunger Games. I would like to start by congratulating all of the tributes." The escorts and other important Capitol people clap excitedly, and the mentors roll their eyes but clap as well. "Now I understand that this year has quite a few exciting twists. We have the brother and sister duo from district 4." He paused as the crowd looked at Finn and Angel clapping and cheering. "We have a peacekeeper's daughter from district 5." Once again he pauses as we all clap for the female tribute from 5. "We have our most exciting tribute in 21 year, Tess Hawthorne. Who happens to be Mr. and Mrs. Mellark's niece." She pauses once more as they find Tess, who happens to be with Finn and Angel. "Lastly we have the 20th wedding anniversary of Panem's favorite couple Katniss and Peeta Mellark!" The cheers are loud now because most everyone is genuinely happy for them. "Now as you all know we were going to have an anniversary party for them here in the Capitol after the victor tour. But seeing as how someone in their family is in the games I have taken the requests of the people, and decided to have the party after the tribute's week of training." He paused again. I was really surprised by this because I don't know Snow to be a nice guy, and this seems pretty nice. "Because Miss Hawthorne will see her family due to this event the Mellarks and I have personally invited the families of all of the tributes to the party to make it fair." Now that is something I wasn't expecting. He is being a nice guy today. It makes me think that the arena is going to be more hell than it's ever been on a year that wasn't a quarter quell. "That will be all." He walks back through the doors he came in from. The whole room is buzzing. The tributes are excited and the mentors are trying to figure out what's going on. I see a lot of tributes thanking my Aunt and Uncle for inviting their families.

This year is definitely strange. Part of me thinks some these twists were planned from the beginning. Either way I know that something big is going to happen soon. I'm not sure what yet, but I know its coming. But I guess it wouldn't be the Hunger Games if there weren't twists, and things people didn't expect.


	20. Chapter 19 Prep Time Part 1

Prep Time Part One

POV of Tess

"Uncle Cinna! Oh my God it's been ages since I've seen you!" I scream as I ran and jumped into his arms.

"Hello Tess, how are you?" He asked putting me down.

"Good. I am excited to see what you're going to put me in." I squeal.

"Well before you can see that you need to be prepped." I hate this part. Octavia, Flavius and Venia walked in smiling. Great, here comes Capitol babbling and pain.

"Tess it's been so long. It's so exciting that you're our tribute." Octavia said as she made her way over to me.

"Just like your Aunt, you gave us nothing to work with." Flavius pouted as he lifted my mangled hair. I rolled my eyes.

"Flavius don't be so mean, Tess you're beautiful. You just need a little, polishing." Venia cooed.

"Good luck Tess, you'll need it with these 3." Cinna said grasping my hand. I smile.

"I don't need luck, I need pain medication." I joke. Cinna smiled as my prep team tried to figure out what I meant. It made the joke all the more funny for the 2 of us. He opened the door and I saw Portia there waiting. They both wave at me as they close the door and leave me alone with what is sure to be my undoing.

"Alright, first things first, beauty base zero." Flavius claps and they all go to different sides of the room, grabbing all sorts of tools and materials. Half of which I have no clue what they are. Venia grabs what looks like thick honey and paper strips, and heads for my legs.

"What's that?" I ask.

"Don't worry. It's just wax. It won't hurt that much. You'll get used to it I promise." She replies and then goes back to the mindless chatter from before. I hear that right now the hottest skin color is nude. Venia and Flavius look surprised when Octavia says that.

"But how is that fashion, its normal?" Flavius asks.

"It's simplistic." Octavia said with a smile. Something clicked with all of them and they begin to talk about plans to bleach themselves. I really don't understand Capitol logic or fashion or anything for a matter of fact.

"Alright, one, two, three." And with 3 she ripped off the strip of paper that was attached to my leg. A shooting pain went all the way up my body. I grit my teeth and clench the arms of the seat. "See it's not that bad." IS SHE CRAZY! As she places another strip on my leg I brace myself for the pain. "One we're done with your legs we're going to do your underarms and eye brows." WHAT! This is torture. After surviving this crap I'll be able to survive anything the Gamemakers throw at me.

POV of Eric

"Giad is going to be so happy. You're almost at beauty base zero. It didn't even take that much to get you there." Xion said beaming with excitement.

"I know, I love working with the younger ones. It's so much easier to style them." Viola said playing with my hair. The past hour has been filled with eye brow waxing, a total scrub down and hair styling. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.

I have heard of plenty of tributes coming out stinging and wanting to rip their hair out. But since I'm younger and I don't have much body hair. I was dirty, but not as bad as most in my district. Aside from that I guess I was pretty okay. I'm glad. I didn't want to be poked and prodded for hours. Now all I really have to do is wait.

My prep team is not allowed to do anything but clean me and kind of mess with my hair. The third one went off to fine my stylist Giad.

POV of Crisis

Kendra walks through the door and the prep team exits. "Stand up." She demands. I slowly stand up and she begins to circle me. "Lift your arms." Once again I do as she says. The way she demands everything annoys me.

I wonder how Scarlet is doing. I bet they're already done with her since she's so gorgeous. There isn't much they could do to improve her beauty. Kendra stands in front of me and squints her eyes.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"Hush, I'm picturing you in your costume." Why doesn't she just put the damn outfit on me? That would be easier on both of us. She leaves the room briefly to bring in a long black bag. "This is a dress bag." SHE'S PUTTING ME IN A DRESS?

"I'm not wearing a dress. I don't care how many sponsors that would give me." I shout. She chuckles.

"No silly. You're not wearing a dress. You're wearing this." She says pulling out a ridiculous looking shirt. It had swirls of color everywhere.

"I'm not wearing that. I'll look like an idiot."

"You're wearing it. We don't have time to remake it. Besides you should match your district partner."

"Scarlet is wearing this?"

"In dress form of course." I guess I can put up with the outfit for her.

"Fine, but no make-up. That's where I draw the line."

"You're the only tribute that's ever stood up to me. I don't like it, but I respect it." She gives me a small smile. As she leaves the room, the prep team re-enters. Great these guys again. The all surround the outfit and coo over it.

"It's so vibrant." One says

I've never seen anything like it on a tribute." Another one says. Wait so people here where this crap?

"Will you 2 stop staring at it and help me get him dressed." The last one yelled. I kept my eyes clenched shut because I was afraid of what I was going to look like.

Before I knew it the thin dress-like thing that was over my otherwise naked body, was gone. I felt cold, embarrassed and a little angry. Luckily they placed boxers on me rather quickly. The flush feeling I had only moments before is now gone.

I honestly thought that this couldn't get any worse. Then I realize that all of Panem is going to watch me ride in a chariot looking like a picture a 3 year old painted in the dark. My thoughts begin to drift off to Scarlet. If anyone can pull this fabric off it's her.

POV of Eric

I'm really not sure what to say as I stare at myself in the mirror. On one hand I think I look great, on the other I'm nervous about what the sponsors will think. If it doesn't make a good impression I have to rely on my training score, which is not something I am confident in. I like the metallic gold color on me. Right now all I am wearing is the suit and shoes.

"Now we need to get your make-up on." Giad says. I never agreed to make-up, but Resin told me to follow every instruction they give me. So far I have been his obedient tribute, why stop now?

Instead of fussing over brush gliding across my face I sit there and wait. When Giad is done I no longer disapprove of her choice. It actually looks really nice. When she finally places the wreath on my head I am amazed at what I see.

I no longer look like that timid child that was standing on the stage in district 9. I look confident, attractive, and more muscular that I really am. The suit isn't skin tight, but it is tight enough that it shows off what little I do have.

"I like this. A lot actually." I say as I admired myself in the mirror.

"I'm so glad you like it. When I tribute hates what they're in you can always tell and it kills their sponsor chances." Her face beamed with joy. Seeing her so happy made me smile too.


	21. Chapter 20 Prep Time Part 2

Prep Time Part Two

POV of Rose

"Rose you're so pretty." Logan says as he circles me. I smile.

"Thank you." I answered politely.

"I think you would look so good with died skin." Dell chimed in.

"No, she looks nice with natural skin." Gia protested. I'm glad someone is on my side with this. I don't want to look like some Capitol freak. "You're hair is gorgeous." She continued, running her fingers through it.

"We should get started preparing her." Dell said. Preparing me? The spread out and begin to gather tools. I don't like the look of this. I recognize a few of the things, but the other are completely foreign to me.

When I saw them open the large jar of wax I knew that this was going to be painful. Being in the lumber district we are very familiar with bees. My mother used to gather the wax from nearby hives and uses that to wax away unwanted hair. I tried it a few times after she passed, but it was too painful for me. By the look of things now I should have kept trying. Then maybe I'd be used to it.

"Are you ready for this?" Logan asks as he smoothes the wax onto my leg. I close my eyes and nod. "Alright." Even though the removal is quick in reality, in my mind it's slow and painful. I try my hardest to keep my composure, but I feel tears rolling down my cheeks. After what seems like forever he pulls the last strip off my leg. "All done with your legs."

"Can we take a break from waxing for now? It hurts like a bitch."

"You have a foul mouth now don't you?" Gia gasped.

"Sorry." Much to my dismay they did not listen to my request, and began waxing my underarms. I thought my legs hurt, but this is an entirely new form of pain. Logan and Dell ended up holding me down so Gia could finish waxing me.

"You're a handful aren't you?" An unfamiliar man's voice said. The 3 goons that where holding me down and painfully removing every ounce of body hair I have, loosen their grip.

"She sure is. Weston." Dell complains. Weston motions for them to leave, so they do.

"Not a fan of waxing I see."

"No not at all." I say rubbing my stinging legs and trying not to put pressure on my left underarm.

"Well the more you squirm the more it hurts." With that he leaves and the prep team comes back in. Without them asking I lift up my arms so they could finish the left side and start the right. Today is going to suck, big time.

POV of Finn

This morning I found out how painful it is to have a hairless chest. To be honest I don't know how Stephan and Finnick and all the other district 4 male tributes. I've heard girls say beauty is pain, but this is ridiculous.

The prep team exits and a pale pink lady with silver hair walks in the room. "Hello Finn, my name is Klio. I wanted to show you what my design for you is." She walks over to me holding up a sketch pad. When I see what she has planned for me in black in white I'm not blown away. But Stephan said Klio is an amazing stylist and I trust his judgment.

"Can I see it in color?" I ask politely.

"Stephan told me black and white wouldn't do it for you." She laughed. "That's why I had this prepared." She flipped the page and I see the design really pop with the added color. I smiled.

"You like it?" She asks. I nod. "I'll send the prep team in to start the body paint." She leaves and they re-enter with small cans, paint brushes and templates. I can see where this could go wrong.

The paint feels cold as it glides over my skin. After a short while I look into the mirror to see how those first few lines turned into a beautiful sea of blues and green, with foam capped waves. It amazed me. I am left alone to dry for a while.

Klio comes back in. "How do you like it?"

"It's gorgeous. I can't believe this is really me." She smiles at my compliment.

"I'm so happy you like it. After all it's your body." She places a dress bag on the table and leaves once more. I like her a lot better than I like my prep team. As the prep team rushes back in to finish dressing me I sigh. This is going to be a long day, and I'm already tired. What did I get myself into? Pure HELL, that's what.

POV of Slate

I'm stark naked except for "stone" dust. They stripped me down and got this crap all over me only to realize they forgot my outfit. I guess the obvious thing to do in this situation is run out on your tribute and leave them wearing nothing. My prep team is a group of idiots. Suddenly the door bursts open and the idiots return. Thankfully they have boxers for me. They try to put them on me, but I snatch them away and put them on myself. I can dress myself, even if they think I can't.

"Oh my god Slate you look to die for." Lavender coos.

"Careful Slate, she's on the prowl for a younger man." Oz laughed.

"I'm not worried. I have a girl back home." I reply.

"Oh yeah, the girl that caused the scene." Jed said with a bit of attitude.

"Well how would you like it if your fiancé volunteered to go fight 23 other teens to the death?" I snapped. After that there wasn't much talking. I'm not usually a snippy person, but these 3 just rub me the wrong way and insulting Jade was a big mistake. I can deal with them judging me, but they don't know how scared she was, so they shouldn't criticize her for freaking out. They've never been put in a situation; they can't imagine the pain she felt in that moment. I continue to dress myself, regardless of their protest. I'm not 3, I can put on a pair of pants.

An hour passes by and Nactic walks in. Without a word the prep team disappears, finally.

"You look stunning." She says circling me.

"Thank you."

"You're going to be a force to beat. You're strong and handsome. If you play it right you'll get loads of sponsors." It's nice to hear something positive for a change.


	22. Chapter 21 Opening Ceremony Tributes POV

Opening Ceremony

POV of Slate

I walk out into the court yard and see a few other tributes already standing there. I see Diamond and Titanium walking over to me.

"Where is Onyx?" Diamond asks.

"I don't know. I guess she's still getting ready. You look amazing by the way." She really did look nice, but she also looked kind of slutty. I kept picturing Jade over and over again. I can't have an arena fling. Whether I love or die, seeing me with another girl would kill her. She would never forgive me and would always question my devotion to her.

"Thanks." She replies twirling her hair. Great she thinks I'm flirting. "You look great too."

"Diamond he has a girlfriend, back off. You're acting like a hoe." A familiar voice rings out. Thank god she's here.

"Who are you calling a hoe, bitch!" Diamond replies with a huge smile on her face. Girls, I will never understand them. They hug.

"You look like a stud Slate." Onyx says winking at me. I smile. Onyx has turned into a really good friend. Last night I told her I was on edge about being a career. She told me she thinks I should go on my own. She wants to make it to the final 2 so that if we're killed we're killed by a friend and our district still gets the feast. I was and still am so glad she understood. I would have stayed if she wanted me to. Her opinion is really important to me.

"Thanks. You look stunning Onyx." She smiles and hugs me.

"Thank you."

"And you told me to back off. You 2 flirt like crazy." Diamond says. Onyx blushes slightly.

"Flirting as friends and flirty because you want to get in his pants is different." Onyx snaps a bit. Diamond realizes she hit a nerve and backs off. I place a hand on Onyx's shoulder and she immediately calms down.

In addition to our strategy talk she told me she liked me a little. I felt guilty telling her that nothing could ever happen between us because of my love and devotion to Jade. Although she acted supportive I could see in her eyes she was hurt by it. She asked me if there could have been something if things were different, and I gave her the honest answer. If I wasn't in love with Jade I would easily fall for her. When I told her that she eyes lit up again, this made us both smile.

POV of Finn

As I look around and realize I'm not the least dressed tribute I'm relieved. I see girls with less clothing than me and I'm only in pants. I'm glad they took Angel's age into consideration. She is in a stunning green and blue dress. I was told that it is mermaid style and sequined. I have no clue what that means, but it looks nice on her.

"Angel you look beautiful. Mom is going to cry seeing you in this." I say to her.

"Finn don't make me cry because this make-up took so long, I don't want them pawing at my face trying to fix it." She laughed, holding back tears of joy. "I bet you're nervous about seeing Tess."

"You just love to tease me don't you?" She smiles and nods. I can't help but smile back at her.

I still don't know how I feel about Tess. Yesterday was confusing. Before going to the meeting we held hands, I didn't think anything of it because she was scared and so was I. She makes my head spin and I'm not sure why. Right now I know I care for her as a friend, but if it's anything more I'm not aware of it.

"Thinking about her?"

"Kind of, I'm trying to figure out if you and Stephan are right or not. I really don't think so, but the more you guys talk about what you see the more confused I get."

"You like her, I know you. She likes you too. If she doesn't she's crazy." And that's when I saw her. In a shiny black dress with what looked like corners. My jaw just about hit the ground when I saw her. Okay so maybe Angel is right. I think I might like her.

POV of Rose

This costume they put me in is not the least bit flattering. It's a god damn jumpsuit. I am sitting here in a camouflage jumpsuit with camouflage face paint. I look ridiculous. I thought the point of this was to get me sponsor not hide the fact that I'm a girl. Elm and I are practically identical.

"Rose you look fine, you shouldn't pout. I don't think the Capitol would like to see you like this. Besides we'll look like a real team this way." Elm smiled. I couldn't help but smile back at him. I guess he has a point. We do look like a team and the Capitol always loves alliances.

"You're right Elm; we do look like a team. If only we could wear this in the arena. Then we'd be unstoppable." I pause and look around the court yard. "At least I don't look like a slut." We both start laughing. Elm has turned into my best friend and it pains me even more now to think of his death. I don't want him to die, but I don't want to die either.

"Rose are you thinking about the games again?"

"Yeah, it's hard not to think about it. It starts in just over a week." Elm goes silent. I know he's thinking about how we're both going to survive this. The likeliness of us both making it out alive is very slim, but it's worth a shot. I don't want to anger the Capitol at all though. I've heard rumors about what happens when a tribute defies the Capitol. I don't want to doom my family because I want to save a child I just met. I love Elm like family, but my real family is much more important.

"We'll make it out though. We're smart and talented. If anyone can do it we can." He smiles at me. Like before I can't help but smile back at him. I nod. "Everything should be starting soon. Should we find our chariot?"

"I think it might be a good idea." We walk down the line of chariots counting them as we go. When we reach our chariot we stand there for a moment.

"When does it start?" My only reply is a shrug. "Well now we know where we are, so do you want to mingle or no?"

"We should wait for a little bit. We don't want to be on the other side of the court yard and then they announce it's time to get ready and we need to run." He starts to laugh. "Elm I'm not kidding. With the amount of face paint we have on sweating is a bad idea."

POV of Crisis

Scarlet and I walk around in our ridiculous outfits I look at all the other tributes. Some of them look stunning, others just as bad as ours, although I have to admit Scarlet does look really nice in this. Better than I do, that's for sure.

Every once in a while she thinks she catches me looking at one of the girls and she nudges me a bit. It's so cute to see her getting jealous. She has nothing to be worried about; I only have eyes for her.

It's been a little over a week and I've already noticed a change in myself. I went to the reaping not caring what happened to me, and when my name was drawn I still felt that same indifference. To this day I still don't care what happens to me, but I am looking out for Scarlet's well being. I want her to win more than anything. She is my world and I couldn't imagine my life without her now that I have her.

"Opening Ceremonies will begin in 20 minutes. Tributes be ready." Claudius' voice calls out over a speaker.

Scarlet looks at me and I can tell she's nervous. She squeezes my hand and I squeeze back. "It will be okay baby. I promise. Keep your head up and smile." She nods as we head to our chariot.

POV of Eric

I begin to get nervous again. I get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach just like the one I got when I was reaped. Standing next to my chariot I feel like this is the beginning of the end of my life.

"Nervous?" Calla asks.

"Yeah." I reply. My voice is shaky. She reaches over and places a hand on each shoulder.

"Eric you have been working your ass off training the past week. I know it's not much, but it's a lot more than you came in with. Relax. Right now you are visibly nervous. The Capitol will see that as weakness. You'll lose chances at sponsors and you will die. If that's what you really want then keep acting like this. If you want a chance at survival then smarten up." She says to me sternly. I know she's right. I need to calm down, if I don't I'm going to sign my own death certificate.

"You're right." If I didn't have her here I would die the first day. Her talking to me that first night saved my life. If it wasn't for her I would still be that scared little kid crying in a room I didn't recognize.

"Then show some confidence Eric." She smiled at me. "You're tougher than you look. Now you just have to prove it kid."

"Alliance when we're in the arena."

"Sorry kiddo. But I think you should find a stronger teammate than me. But I promise if our paths cross I won't kill you. Unless we're final 2, then we'll have a fair fight, and no matter what our district will have a winner." It hurt a little being turned down, but I get it. She's been looking out for me this whole time, but not for me, for her. She wants district 9 to have a victor and she knows that the odds are better if I'm fighting for my life too.

"Then I hope we both make it to the final 2. So we have a chance to say goodbye before the end." I smile. And I will be the one making it out alive, because she gave me the drive to survive.

POV of Tess

Finn has been starring at me none stop. It's kind of weird, but at the same time I like it. It gives me a warm feeling all over. I know I kind of have a small crush him, nothing like how I feel for Ricky. It still hurts like hell knowing he likes me, but won't take the risk. Our lives as we knew them are over, why can't we enjoy what we have left of it? Whatever, it's his loss.

I look over to see Finn being pushed in my direction. I giggle a little. "I'll be back before it starts. Oh wait, you don't care." I say to Ricky. I turn back to see a hurt look on his face. YES! Mission accomplished. I turned back to see Finn closer to me than I thought. I smile at him and give him a cute wave. I hope Ricky is watching.

"Hey." He says awkwardly. I think he's cute when he's nervous. Stephan says he's only like this with me, which makes it cuter.

"Hey. You look good without a shirt on." I wink at him. I know toying with him like this is wrong, and I'm not completely leading him on. I do like him; I just want Ricky to see how much he's hurt me. Finn is already a really good friend of mine and if at any point I feel like I am exploiting him I will stop. Or will I? I'll stop using it against Ricky that's for sure, but part of me really enjoys this. I like having a guy care for me, I like having a friend I can be 100% honest and open with. Having someone that could either be my friend or could turn into something more. It's nice.

"Thanks. You look…breathtaking." He said hesitantly. My face began to feel hot and a shy smile came across my face.

"Thank you."

"Tributes, the opening ceremony will begin in 5 minutes. Please take you places."

"I'll see you after the ceremony okay." He said.

"Sound great. Good luck getting sponsors. You look awesome." He smiled at my complement. Then he hugged me.

"Tess, I..." He hesitated. "Good luck out there. If the 3 of us get plenty of sponsors we should be able to make in to the final 8 in no time." He smiled.

"We better get going." He nods and we take off our separate ways. He's an amazing guy, and a great friend. I want him by my side for as long as possible, because he makes me feel safe.

POV of Slate

"Ladies and gentlemen, let me present your tributes for the 95th annual Hunger Games!" Claudius' voice rings throughout the city, as district 1's chariot passes under an arch and into view of the waiting crowd. "District 1's very own Diamond Glitz and Titanium Lipson!" Cheers ring out. "District 2's Onyx Fields and Slate Roberts!" He says as we pass through the arch. Onyx and I stare straight ahead with stern expressions on our faces. The crowd adores us as they cheer. I hear women screaming my name. I don't look at them even though I know it could win some of them over. Acting the way I am makes me seem like a traditional career, fierce and uncaring. I want to keep this act up for as long as I can. Careers always get lots of sponsors even though it is unneeded.

POV of Finn

Cheers from the crown of Capitol people bring me back into reality. I am disgusted by the how much they're enjoying this. As our chariot passes under the arch the announcer says our district and our names. The cheers grow louder as they see Angle hugging me looking scared and innocent, and me with one arm around her protecting her. Stephan said that this will get us a sympathy vote for sure. We agreed knowing that once we're in the arena we need as much help as we can get. Hopefully we pull on the heart-strings of a rich couple with kids, or maybe a couple who lost a kid or 2, or someone who has lost a sibling. That would be great. As planned Angel looks up at the crowd and begins to act playful. The crowd eats this up and they barely pay attention to districts 3 or 5. 1 and 2 have long passed the group we are by and is about halfway down the path. I bend down and kiss her forehead. When I do this I hear squeals coming from every mother, every soon-to-be mother, maybe even every girl here. We have them in the bag, now all we need to hope for is Tess gets a lot of sponsors based on Cinna's brilliance and her family ties to the victors.

POV of Rose

I can hear the cheers for the chariots ahead of ours. "Elm grab my hand."

"Why?"

"We're a team aren't we? We need to look like one." I say smiling at him. He smiles back. He opens his hand and I slide mine into his. As he clasps my hand in his we pass under the arch and into the crowd. I look up to see our faces on the screens.

"District 7's, Rose Styles and Elm Palis!" A man's voice rings out. I never cared to remember his name. He's just another Capitol lackey. Besides I don't need to impress him. She can't sponsor anyone so who the fuck cares who he is.

POV of Crisis

"Don't worry babe, just smile, wave and hope someone wants to sponsor us." I say trying to calm her down, as we approach the arch that leads to the huge crowd of screaming Capitol citizens. She looks at me and I can see the pure terror in her eyes. I kiss her softly. "I promise they can't hurt you; I won't let them." My words seem to calm her. I put my arm around her waist and hold her close to me. As we approach the arch she turns to me again.

"When we pass under, kiss me."

"What?"

"Kiss me. The Capitol always loves a tribute romance, look at Katniss and Peeta. This could be our only way for both of us to make it out or at the very least get more sponsors." She was right. Either way this is going to benefit us in some way.

"Alright, they want a show let's give them one." I say smiling.

"District 8's Scarlet Alder and Crisis Evans! And what's this? They're kissing, it seems we have another games romance. Isn't that lovely?" Claudius says.

"This is too perfect." The man from earlier chimes in. "Just in time for the Mellark's wedding anniversary." We have them all where we want them. I slowly pull away from Scarlet and look up at the screens. The spotlight is on us, district 8 almost never get's this kind of attention. We have a real chance this year.

Scarlet and I smile and wave to the crowd. I look at her to see she is finally smiling at something other than me. It's great to see her enjoying herself.

POV of Eric

No one is looking at us. The couple from 8 stole all the attention. Are they really a couple? They looked pretty cozy at the President's mansion, so they must be. Or really close friends. Nah, they're probably dating. Well that's got to suck, being in the games with someone you love. They know only one of them can make it out right? If not where have they been, under a rock? Watching the games is mandatory, and they've only let one couple out EVER! I feel a pain in my side. It brings me back into reality.

"What are you doing? This is no time for daydreaming." Calla scowls at me. Oh right. I look around and begin to smile at the crowd of people, hoping to regain anything I have lost. Sadly I feel it may be too late. We're halfway there and people are starting to buzz about the Mellark's niece Tess. Damn it! I might have just killed myself!

**Sorry it has taken so long to update. Been busy and a friend of mine lost their little sister. But here is the opening ceremony from the tributes point of view. Next chapter is the mentor's POV so it will be a little shorter. So here are the alliances.**

**Careers: Diamond, Titanium, Onyx & Slate (for now)**

**Scarlet & Crisis**

**Finn, Angel & Tess**

**Rose & Elm**

**Alone: Eric, Calla, Riley, Carter, Faith, Electra, Falon, Hazel, Joseph, Gigot, Garnet, Ricky & Isis**


	23. Chapter 22 Opening Ceremony mentors POV

Opening Ceremony – Mentor's POV

POV of Crystal

The crowd is loving Diamond and Titanium. Onyx and Slate are getting some good attention as well. This is perfect, the careers with get loads of sponsors, make it to the final 8 or further, Diamond and Titanium take out Slate and Onyx, and district 1 wins no matter what.

District 3 rolls into view, but no one is really paying attention to them. It's not really anything new. They usually die off pretty quickly; there haven't been many victors from there. Besides, these tributes look pathetic. Their stylist has worked wonders though; the costumes are the only reason they would be considered. Although it wouldn't be for long, there are plenty of more deserving tributes this year.

A record high for volunteers, there's all of 1 and 2, the boy from 4, the girl from 5, the girl from 7, the boy from 10 an last but certainly not least Tess Hawthorne from 12. She will be some tough competition. She's probably been trained by 12's 3 mentors her whole life, and who knows what else she brings to the table.

Just then I hear louder cheers. What's all that about? I look at the screens to see that every single one of them is focused on district 4. The sibling love thing is working well for them. I sure hope their on our side, if not we might have lost some of our sponsors.

POV of Stephan

YES! They did it! They have everyone's attention. Now all they need to do is hold it until Tess passes under the arch and we are guaranteed to have loads of sponsors.

I see a glimpse of Angel on one of the giant screens, she's smiling, and not a fake smile either. She loves the fact that she's taking care of her brother by doing this. He volunteered to keep her alive and every day since she's felt like she's killed him, but right now she's getting the attention of people that can keep them alive. This is her way of thanking him for everything he's done and is going to do for her.

"They look amazing. Cinna and their stylists really did amazing. Not like Cinna had to do much, from what I heard the original designs weren't far from this." Katniss leans over to me and says.

"Cinna did a lot. He gave Angel some confidence. Look at her out there. She's glowing." I reply. "Make sure to thank him for me."

"You can thank him yourself brat." She laughs. We both begin to laugh uncontrollably, and the other mentors start to stare. Who cares? This is one of the first times I've laughed in the past year so fuck anyone who doesn't like it!

POV of Skylar

Damn it! District 4 is hogging on the attention. Electra really needed a bargaining chip to guarantee her spot in the careers. I hope she still makes an impression on some people. If not there is still training week. That better be enough, because if it's not her whole strategy is gone.

"I knew this was going to happen." Kel said softly.

"How?" Trin asks. Yeah, I'd like to know that too.

"4 is a sibling team. He volunteered to protect his little sister. She's one of only 2, 12 year olds this year. Then when you add the costume and the cute sibling love act there is no way in hell the Capitol wouldn't eat it up." Wow, he's right. Electra and Carter never had a chance.

"How do we recover from this then?" I ask.

"We need to make sure they kill it in training. If not they might be dry on sponsors."

POV of Peeta

As Stephan and Katniss laugh the night away I can't help but smile. It's nice to see them both relaxed. I am getting a little anxious though. Some of the other districts are getting really nice reactions, and district 12 is at the end. We're only at district 9 now, 10 should be passing under any minute.

The room is still buzzing about how much the crowd loved Finn and Angel. Some of the other mentors are congratulating the 2 girls from 4 since Stephan is a little preoccupied. I look over at them to see they are trying their hardest to calm down. Their faces are bright red and you can hear them struggling to breathe. I reach over to Katniss and rub her back. She smiles at me between gasps for air. God I love this girl.

I look back to the chariots to see 10 has passed through the archway and 11 is quickly approaching it. Good, once they go through Tess and Ricky are next.

POV of Katniss

I finally catch my breath in time to see what the crowd is cheering for. It's Tess and Ricky. Oh….my…god….Cinna has really outdone himself. They look like a sharp piece of polished coal. That is new. Cinna really is brilliant. I glance over to him and see him smiling and getting praise.

I think back to his début with me and Peeta. How all eyes were on us because we were on fire. It had never been done before, but I am willing to bet it will be done again. He always has such amazing ideas and makes sure our tributes shine.

I look back to Tess and Ricky to see how well they both are doing with the crowd. I know Finn, Angel and Tess are going to be okay for a little while as long as they make it out of the bloodbath. Ricky I'm not sure about. He needs to get an ally. If he doesn't he won't make it.


	24. Chapter 23 After The Opening Ceremony

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games. The setting (aside from the arena), a portion of the characters and the main parts of the story plot belongs to Suzanne Collins. Although a majority of the character and the details are of my own creation. **

**Sorry my updates have been slow. Life has been busy. I hope you enjoy.**

After the Opening Ceremonies

POV of Tess

"Tess you look amazing! Cinna you really outdid himself this time." Aunt Katniss cooed, hugging the 2 of us.

"Thank you. Cinna really made me look great. I can hardly recognize myself." I reply.

"Well I couldn't let my favorite 16 year old girl look bad at her Capitol début, now could I?" Cinna said smiling at me.

"I guess not." I blushed. "When do we get to see Stephan, Finn and Angel?" Peeta and Haymitch smile.

"They'll be up here any minute." Peeta says. "Did you get to talk to him before the ceremony?"

"More like threw herself at him." Ricky replies harshly. "It's been about a week and she's already moved on, and I'm the horrible one?" His words cut me like a knife, and deep at that.

"Ricky…"

"Don't. I don't want to hear it. Have fun with your boy toy." Then he lowers his voice. "I wonder if he knows you're using him to make me jealous. I bet it would hurt him to find out." Haymitch starts to walk towards him angrily.

"No. Leave him alone." I say quickly. "Just let him be." Everyone looks at me for a second. Haymitch punches the wall next to Ricky's head and storms off. Katniss and Peeta go to check on him as the ding from the elevator echoes in the near empty hallway.

"Looks like he's here. Just do me a favor and leave me out of this from now on." With that he walks down the hallway that leads to our bedrooms. The door opens.

"Tess you look so pretty!" Angel says as she runs at me from the elevator. I smile and hug her.

"Thanks Angel. You look beautiful." I look up to see Finn standing a few feet away from us. "You 2 gave the Capitol a nice show. You'll be set with sponsors."

"They loved you too. You're the niece of the most famous victors in the history of the games and you have the most talented stylist ever. And on top of all of that you're naturally beautiful and you have an amazing personality." His voice trails off after a little while as his face grows red. I can tell I'm blushing too because of the hot flush feeling in my cheeks.

Slowly I walk over to him. "Finn you're the best friend a girl could have." I whisper in his ear right before kissing his cheek.

POV of Slate

"District 4 was a real hit with the crowd." I say to Onyx.

"Yeah. I hope they want to be careers this year. I know they're one of the strongest districts, but they almost never join the career group."

"Yeah well I doubt they're going to join us. Angel looks terrified and Finn is going to go with someone that won't kill her or let her get killed."

"Maybe you can get them with you when you take off. That would be great. Then I wouldn't have to worry about them."

"I'll see if I can get him on our side." I pause. "Onyx I don't want to kill such a little girl."

"If it comes down to it I'll take care of her, you get Finn." The fact that she can say such things so easily scares me. I know it is important to our survival and our plan for her to die, but I hate the thought of someone so young being murdered for entertainment.

"I really hope it doesn't come down to that. I don't want her blood on my hands."

"She has to die sometime. Unless you want to sacrifice yourself for her and in that case…" She pauses briefly. "You can always help me instead." She bats her eyes at me.

We both start laughing. Soon we can't stop and our faces turn bright red. As we gasp for air we try to talk but it comes out at unrecognizable murmurs. This makes us laugh harder. Before I know it I'm on the floor clutching my sides because they're killing me. Slowly I regain my composure and begin to breathe normally.

"Onyx you're the closest thing I have to a friend here. I really don't want to kill you, but I have a life to get back to. I hope you understand."

"I understand Slate. Because I'm going to be the one to kill you."

POV of Skylar

"What the fuck happened out there?" Electra yelled. "That brat from 4 and her overprotective brother stole all the attention! They barely noticed me! I'd be surprised if they even heard my name over the roar of the crowd! I will kill that bitch first! Mark my words!" She storms off to her room.

"She's right. I barely heard them being announced. District 4 was a real hit this year." Trin said with a hint of disappointment in her voice. "What do we do Sky? If she doesn't impress the careers in the arena and get some sponsors through the interview she's going to die out there."

"I know Trin. We need to make sure she knows that. So we will talk to her about interview strategies all week. We need to remind her that if she over does it in there then they won't want to have her on their team. This is no longer talk, its reality." I know there is a sense of urgency in my voice. "You need to talk to Carter. He needs to step up his game Kel."

"I know. I'm just not sure how yet." He sounds worried. I don't really blame him. We're never an overly popular district for sponsors, but we thought that we would get some attention because Electra volunteered. But then 4 put on their little show and ruined that plan. We're all disappointed with that. There is a real chance district 5 will win this year, but no one will know that if Electra doesn't excel in training.

POV of Stephan

"They seem pretty cozy." I say.

"Yeah they do. I guess it's made things a little strained here between her and Ricky. They had a bit of a fight today." Peeta replied to me. "You should know that they really liked each other for a while and Ricky hurt Tess a lot. He didn't mean to, he just didn't want to fall in love with her and have to choose her life or his."

"If he really cared for her he would have picked her life." Haymitch snapped.

"I agree, even though it doesn't always work that way." I say dropping my head. I feel tears fill my eyes. Someone places a reassuring hand on my shoulder but I shrug it away. "I'm fine." Whoever it was walked back to their seats before I lifted my head.

"Well Ricky has the idea that Tess is using Finn to get back at him. I'm not sure if that's true. She does have a vindictive side, but she also really cares for Angel and Finn so I'm not sure." Peeta says trying to change the subject.

"I doubt she's trying to use him. If Finn found out that would ruin the alliance and make things harder in there." I commented. "Besides when they talked on the phone Ricky wasn't around them and they got along just as well as they do now."

Just then Angel runs in. "Hi everyone."

"Hi Angel, you did great today." Katniss said.

"Thank you Mrs. Mellark."

"Call me Katniss. You're too young to be so formal."

"You're never too young to have manners Katniss." Effie half snaps. Katniss smirks at her and I begin to wonder what this is all about.

"Effie you look really pretty in green." Angel says sweetly.

"Well thank you Angel. Aren't you sweet?" She pauses for a moment. "Are you excited about training? It starts tomorrow." I hated training. It reminded me that I was only here to die.

"I'm kind of excited to see what the other tributes do. I want to learn as much as I can about them and learn a lot of survival skills. I'm not strong so I need to know other things just in case me, Finn and Tess get separated. To be honest I'm also a little scared."

"Angel you'll do fine. They all might be strong, but you're smart. And that is just as important." Katniss reassures her. It makes me feel a little more at ease as well. I'm worried about her. She's so small, if she doesn't focus in training she might not survive in there. Finn can only do so much. The rest is up to her.


	25. Chapter 24 Training Week Day One

**Sorry it's been so long. Life has gotten the best of me again and what's worse I had temporarily lost my fanfic notebook =( but it's back now so I can continue. I hope you all like it. We're getting into the training process. As I have mentioned a few times throughout the story so far the training schedule has been changed. It will be explained during the training week orientation. **

Training Day One

POV of Rose

"Get up, you start training today." A strange man says to me. Slowly the voice begins to change into one I recognize and the vision of the man fades into darkness. I open my eyes to see an unhappy Johanna staring back at me.

"You look much better as a woman." I mumble.

"What?" She paused looking puzzled. "Never mind that, I'll deal with it later. Right now you need to get your lazy ass out of bed and get ready."

"What time is it?"

"7:30. You need to shower and eat breakfast. Orientation starts at 9:00. So hurry the fuck up. You don't have all day you know."

"I still have time. Why do I need to get up now?"

"Because I said so! Now you can either get out of bed and into the shower your way or my way. What will it be?"

"Alright I'm up, I'm up." I quickly sit up. Johanna chuckles and leaves the room. "I wonder what the other tributes are like." I dismiss the thought. I know that if I get to know them too much I'm going to screw myself over. It's already going to be tough enough killing Elm I don't need any more guilt in this.

Still feeling groggy I slide my legs off the bed and stand up. I almost lose my balance, but a catch myself before my face personally greets my window. I know that the glass is reinforced so there are no suicide attempts. All that really means to me is it would have hurt like a bitch to fall into. I make my way to the bathroom when I hear my bedroom door open. I look behind me to see an Avox cautiously step in. I nod my head as I close the bathroom door. I wish they would knock.

I turn on the hot water and it's steaming in seconds. That is one thing I enjoy a lot. The water actually gets hot and quick. As steam fills the room I undress and slip into a luxury I only dreamt of until I volunteered. The hot water feels so nice on my back and the different scented soaps delight me. When I win my whole family will know how it feels to take a real shower.

I turn the water off and step out into the steamy room. It looks as if the whole room is filled with dense fog. It reminds me of the woods after a rain storm. When the water is evaporating into the air, but gets trapped by the canopy. I smile as I lay my hand on the machine that dries you instantly. I open the door and watch as some of the steam slowly creeps into the bedroom. With a towel wrapped around me just in case someone else walks in, I head over to my bed where I find the cloths I will be using for the next week.

The pants are stretchy and look pretty tight, and the shirt has what looks like little holes in it. There is a second layer of fabric so no skin will show through the holes, but it does look comfortable. There is also a weird looking bra type thing. Johanna walks in again.

"What now? I'm up, I showered and I was about to get dressed before you barged in."

She chuckles. "The thing you're staring at like it's from a different planet is a sports bra. It helps hold your boobs still while you work out. It also flattens them a little so they're a bit more manageable. It will feel tight and probably uncomfortable the first time you wear it, but trust me it's worth it when you want to move quickly or hold things close to you." With that she leaves me alone again.

I'll never admit it to her, but that was helpful. She's not a bad person, just a little cranky and sexual. She acts as if the world is a joke and then at the most random times she takes everything so seriously. I guess it's just her way of handling all this. It's got to be tough. Caring for 2 kids just to watch them die. It must be hard.

I finish getting dressed and look at myself in the mirror. My name is on the back and district 7 is printed on each sleeve. It's pretty comfortable, well except for the bra. That feels kind of weird. But I trust Johanna, and if she says it will help then I guess I'll keep it on. I look myself over one last time before heading out the door and to the dining room.

"Hey Rose, you're finally up." Elm says as he gives me a hug. "We start training today. I'm kind of excited. Blight told me all about the training center and how it has tons of weapons and weight machines and survival stations. After this last week we'll be an unbeatable team. So the way I see it, you're my only real competition now." He laughed. "Let's go eat. We need to keep up our strength, if not; training is going to kick our asses."

"Well then let's go. This is the first time I haven't slept through breakfast. I'm kind of really excited."

"It's really good."

"Then what are we waiting for?" I laugh. "Race you." I begin to run through the hallways with Elm right behind me. His legs are longer than mine so within a few minutes he's caught up with me, and narrowly beats me through the door. I stop to catch my breath. "Damn…you're fast. Now let's eat."

POV of Eric

I don't really bother eating much. I mostly push the food around on my plate. I know I should eat, but I'm really nervous. So far all I've really had was a few bites of toast and some eggs. Other than that the spaces on my plate is because I've been playing with my food. My parents would be pissed if they saw me doing this. It's always been a pet peeve of theirs.

"Eric, you've barely touched your food. Its 8:50 eat some more quick before you need to head down there. You don't want to be late." Resin says forcing a roll in my mouth. I reluctantly chew it to make him happy. I know he's right, if I don't eat enough then I won't have the strength for later, and I need all I can get to win over an ally. As I swallow I stand up and head over to the elevator.

"I'm not very hunger. Plus today isn't much of a hard day. We have orientation for an hour, then 2 hours of training and then lunch. After that it's only a few more hours then we're done. I'll make sure not to over work myself. I'm just nervous because it's day 1, that's all. Tomorrow I'll eat plenty. I promise." I say. Resin nods at me. He understands how I feel. After all he was in my place once.

"Then let's go. Being early has never hurt anyone." Calla and I nod in response and we finish walking towards the elevator. As we step in and the door close in front of us we all stand there silently. "Are you 2 nervous?"

"A little. I know that seeing what the other tributes can do is going to help me, but it's intimidating."

"I'm not nervous. I'm excited to see what everyone can do and to improve my skills." Calla says.

"You're so brave you know. You're going to kick ass in the arena."

"Thanks Eric. I mean this as a compliment, but I hope you don't make it to the final 2 with me. I don't want to kill you."

"I feel the same way. But at the same time I'd rather be killed by a friend or know that you died honorably."

"You guys would make a great team. I don't get why you're going it alone."

"Because if I can't survive on my own I don't deserve to win." Calla said firmly. We've talked about it before and yeah I am a little bummed about it, but what can you do?

The elevator ride was a little longer than what we're used to because the training center is underground. We hear the ding and know the doors will be opening in a minute.

"You both follow the rules, work your asses off and scout the competition. Eric find an ally. You're still at a disadvantage so you need to find someone that helps cover your weaknesses. It's better to have a few people know you flaws then for everyone to know them." I know he's right and it sucks. I hate knowing I'm the weakest one going into the arena. It's kind of scary. The doors slide open and I can see we're not the only early ones. "I can't go in there with you so here is where I say goodbye. Make me proud kids."

We step out of the elevator and the doors close behind us. Not having Resin there with us made me nervous. As we slowly walk over to the small circle of tributes I look at Calla. She doesn't seem nervous at all. I wish I was more like her. Looking back over to group of tributes I see that 7, 4, 5, 1 and 2 are all here. So we're waiting on 12, 11, 10, 8, 6 and 3.

"Half of you are already here and it's not even 9:00 yet. I'm impressed." The head coach says as we join the circle. I look at the careers. The boys have huge muscles and look very intense. The girls look scary too. Within a few minutes everyone else is in here. "Alright, now that everyone is here I can get things started. This year training isn't free for all like it usually is. The Gamemakers have decided that in the past not all of the tributes were prepared well enough. So now the day is going to be split into sections, and each section is going to be for a certain area. There are 3 main areas with sub-stations in each. There is the strength area, the survival area and the weapons area. You will have an hour in each, switching every hour on the hour. We start at 9:00 every morning and end at 5:00 with an hour lunch break around 12:00." He paused for a moment. "Here are the rules. No fighting unless you are on the sparing mats and it is okay with all parties involved. No teasing or intimidating. There are only 5 spots in each station; if a station is full you must find a new station to go to. You must be in the area the time slot is assigned to; you cannot go to another area. You can mingle and try to gain allies at this time. If there are any unauthorized fights you will be penalized by the Gamemakers." He pauses and points to the balcony area where the Gamemakers are. "I'm going to walk you around the center so you can see where everything is." He begins to lead us around the center. "The locker rooms are to your right. There are bathrooms in there and if your training suit gets ripped, stained or shrink you can find a new one in there." We walk through a pair of double doors. "This is the lunch room. During lunch you can choose to eat in here or use this time to work on a skill. I would recommend using this time to relax, eat and make alliances." We exit the room and he leads us to the area that has a lot of weight machines, weights, a small running track and a few sparing mats. "This is the strength area. You can use your time here to work on any of these machines, or any of the other stations here." Next we start to walk towards the weapons. "This station is clearly the weapons area. As you can see we have every weapon you can think of. If you are already good with a weapon I suggest training with a different one. If you can't use more than one weapon you might struggle in the arena." He pauses again. I look at the careers eyeing the weapons. They look excited, and it scares the living hell out of me. "And this is the survival station. Here you will learn essential survival skills such as fire starting, shelter building and what plants are edible and what ones are poisonous." I need to learn as much as I can about survival. That's my best hope at this point. "Alright, that's about it for the tour. So you have a bit of a break before training really starts."

I grab Calla's hand and pull her close to me. "We should stick together for the first day. If everyone knows we're on our own then they're going to think we're weak."

"Let them think I'm weak. They'll learn otherwise."

"Please Calla. You're strong, and confident, and have a personality that is going to get you sponsors. I need to impress someone here, but I'm worried they won't approach me at all if they think I'm weak and alone."

"Fine, I guess you can tag along with me for the first day, but tomorrow you're on your own. We talked about this remember." I nod.

"Alright tributes, your first time slot is for weapons." The head coach announces.

"Alright kid, what do you want to practice first?"

"Daggers, and maybe throwing knives after that."

"Sounds good to me." We begin to walk over to the daggers and catch the last 2 spots. Faith from 6 is there, so is Hazel and Garnet from 10. There are robotic "opponents" with foam on them so you can practice close-quarters combat with them. They have foam daggers, try to stab you and block your attacks. It's kind of cool.

After the instructor showed us how the robots worked Faith was ready to go. She got a few stabs into the arms, but no "fatal" blows and she got knocked down a few times. I could see Calla studying her mistakes trying to make sure she did well and didn't make a fool of herself. When she was done the instructor brought forward a new robot for Hazel to fight while the other robot got the holes filled with more foam.

Hazel fell down repeatedly, she never getting more than a scratch on the robot with the dagger before hitting the ground again. She was persistent though, she refused to give up. The instructor had to tell her she was done before she would stop.

I look over at the throwing knives station to see the girl from 8 hitting the circle right outside the bull's-eye every time. She's good, really good. Before I know it, it's Calla's turn. She doesn't do great, but she does alright. She gets some decent hits, then she hits a "fatal" spot and the robot stops.

"Good job Calla."

"Thanks, your turn." She hands me the daggers. "Kick ass kid. Show them how hard you've been training." She winks at me. I nod.

I feel the blades in my hands for a moment, trying to get used to the weight. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I can do this, I just need to focus.

"You ready champ?" The instructor asks. I nod.

"You bet I am." I look at my target, remembering how Calla and Faith did, the movements of the machine. I charge at it, but when it goes to block me I duck and get it in the abdomen. Not very deep, but it's a start. I forget to pay attention to the robot and it catches me off guard. It stabs me in the chest and the instructor shuts it down. DAMN IT! I hear some people laughing, but I hear others complimenting my first blow. It helps me regain some confidence. "Let's go throw some knives."

"Alright, let's go."

POV of Slate

Lunch time at last. Onyx, Diamond, Titanium and I pick a table to sit at. All of a sudden the girl from 5 walks over to us.

"Can I sit with you?" She asks. I look at Onyx and give her a quick nod.

"Sure. You were impressive this morning. I saw you working with the mace." Onyx says. The girl sits down. "Your Electra right?"

"Yeah. I used to live in district 2, but my father is a peacekeeper so we moved to 5 a few years ago."

"Cellis…..what a minute do you have a brother my age?"

"Copper."

"He was in my class before you guys moved. So is the mace the only weapon you're good with?"

"No. I'm great with daggers which comes in handy since I like hand-to-hand combat the most." I look at Titanium and he seems impressed. Diamond looks agitated, but that sucks for her. "I really want to join you guys. I've always dreamed of being a career. That's why I volunteered."

"Well I think you're good enough to be a career. What do you think Slate?" Titanium asks.

"Yeah. What about you Onyx?"

"Definitely." Electra looked so excited.

"Well I don't think we need a 5th." Diamond said with a bit of an attitude.

"The more we have the sooner we can pick off the weak ones and we can get down to the people that deserve a chance at winning." Onyx said glaring at her. "Besides 3 out of 4 of us agree on it. So it's settled. Electra you're one of us now."

Diamond looks pissed. "Fine, whatever." For the rest of lunch she ignored us and ate her food. I didn't mind the lack of her voice. She's been getting on my nerves lately. Constantly flirting with me and ignoring the fact that I am in love with Jade.

Before we know it lunch is over and the 5 of us walk back into the training room.

"For the next hour I want you all to be focusing on survival training." The head coach says.

"So what do you guys want to do?" Electra asks.

"I think she should split up for now, 2 of us go to one station, 2 to another and then the last 1 will go somewhere else. That way we'll learn more skills. We'll all end up going through the different stations anyway but this way we'll ensure that someone in our group can help keep us alive. I'll go with Electra." Titanium says.

"Come on Slate we'll go practice fire starting." Onyx says. Diamond once again looks pissed. "Oh look that leave Diamond all alone."

"You could always come with us." Electra offers.

"I'd rather be alone." Diamond snaps. Then she storms off.

"Well I guess we should get started." I say.

POV of Stephan

"So how do you think training is going?" Ambrosia asks.

"I'm not sure. I wonder what the new schedule is." I ask.

"Back when I was a tribute they didn't give a fuck what we did, as long as we killed everyone else." Haymitch scoffs.

"That's how it's always been. I wonder why they changed it." Effie chimed in.

"Because only the fierce competitors make it past day 3, the Capitol is getting bored. They want to see the underdogs win again and have some of the careers blindsided." Johanna butted in as she walked through the doorway.

"You think so?" Katniss asked. "I never thought I'd see the day when the Capitol wanted it keep the tributes alive."

"Live tributes are more entertaining than dead ones, even if they love a gruesome death." Johanna commented.

"I guess you're right." Peeta says. "I hope Tess does well."

"We all want Tess to do well. It's never fun when a victor's family member gets pulled into the games." Blight says. "We're all routing for her, and for your friends Stephan. You lost so much last year, we don't want you to lose more." He put a hand on my shoulder. My body tensed up knowing all eyes were on me. It makes me feel sick thinking about why they all feel bad for me.

"I'm a victor, I survived the games, we need to worry about the 24 that are going to be fighting for their lives in just over a week!" I snap a little bit. "I'm so sorry…..I just…..don't like talking about….what happened."

Chaff walks over to me. "Come on let's go talk a bit." I don't say anything as I stand up and follow him to a different room. "You alright kid?"

"I guess. It's just hard. I thought being a victor would be easier than the games, and then I won. Oh boy was I wrong. It's a living hell. The victory tour killed me, seeing the family members of the tributes I killed. And now I have to send 2 more tributes into the arena. How do you all do it?"

"Your first year is always the hardest and for you it's, worse you have someone from the victor's family and 2 friends in the arena. I don't think I would have made it here sober if I was you bud. This year is going to be the hardest for you, unless you have kids…." He trails off remembering that the love of my life died even after I tried my hardest to keep her alive. She should be here not me. Wait no. I couldn't wish for her to be in this position. Ugh, I never knew being a victor was this hard. I knew it would be tough. I live with 2 victors and my mom is a total mess, but I thought that living with it I would be able to be stronger. But I'm not really. I feel like I'm made of glass and at any moment a word or touch could shatter me.

POV of Tess

Finn and Angel went to learn about plants just in case we get separated in the arena. I decided to practice camouflage. It turned out to be a good idea because I'm more than a little rusty at it. I haven't helped my Uncle in the bakery in a year or so and that's affected my artistic "talent".

After a half hour there I'm back where I'm comfortable. I will probably come back to it later in the week. Alright I have time for one more station. I should practice making hooks. I know they both know how to make them, but once again I want to make sure I'm set just in case we're separated.

Wow this is a lot harder than it looks. About halfway through Angel came over and knocked out 5 while I struggled on my 2nd or 3rd.

"Don't try to just do one bend if you're not used to it. Make a small bend about here and then move your fingers over and bend again. Trust me. That's how I learned. After a while it will only talk 1 or 2 bends to create the perfect hook." She coached me. It did help a lot. I know me and Finn are trying to keep her alive, but right now she's helping keep me alive.

"Alright tributes, day one is now over. Please leave the training center." The head coach said standing in the middle of the room.

"Let's find Finn and head up to my floor. Everyone is up there waiting for us." I said with a big smile on my face.

"Okay." She paused. "Tess, can I ask you something?"

"Sure anything Angel."

"Are you using my brother to make Ricky jealous?"

"No. Why would you think that?"

"I heard the mentors talking about it. I also heard them talking about you and Ricky fighting."

"I do like Ricky a lot, and he did hurt me. But your brother is my best friend here. Well after you of course." I stop to smile at her.

"Do you like Finn, you know like…as a crush?"

"I'm not sure. I feel different around him than most other boys, but I'm still stuck on that jerk over there." I say nodding my head towards Ricky. Angel giggled. "Why does he like me?"

"I think so, but he says no." Oh...I really thought he liked me. Why do I care so much? I just said I don't know how I feel about him and I'm hurt that he says he doesn't like me. Wow I'm backwards.

"Hey girls. How was hook making?" Finn appears out of nowhere.

"Angel helped me out a lot. What were you doing?"

"Snares and traps. I could have used your help there." He began to laugh. I start laughing too.

"You guys we need to go." Angel says. Finn and I caught our breath. "Hey look Ricky is waiting by the elevator. Hi Ricky!" He looked up, smiled and waved. He's in a much better mood.

"How did you guys do?" Ricky asked.

"Good. I learned how to make knots and I brushed up on my camouflage. Oh and Angel here helped me to make hooks."

"That's cool. Hey I wanted to talk to you about how I treated you before. I know what I said isn't completely true. You're too good of a person for that to be true. I'm a little jealous about how much time you spend with Finn. And to be honest Finn I'm jealous of how brave you are. You know only 1 person can win and you're still willing to make connections. I couldn't do that. Take care of Tess in there."

"I will. She's one of my best friends." Finn smiles at me and I smile back.

"Want to ride up to the floor with me?" Ricky asks.

"Sure." I say. I grab Angel's hand and she squeezes mine tight. The doors close and I'm stuck in a small space with the guy I really like and the guy I sort of like. This feels really weird. I feel something brush against my free hand and when I look down I see Finn's hand. I look up at him and he's smiling. He brushes my hand with his again and I grab onto it. Holding his hand helps me calm down. It's almost like he brings me back down to earth. He leans over to me.

"Are you okay?" He whispers in my ear.

"Yeah. It's just a little weird for me."

"Do you want to talk about it later?" I nod. "Okay. Your room?" I nod again. The rest of the ride up is silent. I felt so awkward standing there behind Ricky, holding Finn's hand. What am I doing? Angel squeezes my hand and I look down at her.

"Breathe." She mouths to me. I guess she can tell I'm freaking out a bit. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. It makes me feel a little bit better. I look at her and smile. The elevator doors open and I feel like I can breathe again.

"We'll be right back. I'm going to tell Finn what's going on." I lean down and whisper in Angel's ear. "If my family asks where I am tell them I'll be out soon." She nods and runs off to find the mentors.

I grip Finn's hand tighter and run to my room. Once we're there I close the door and lock it behind us.

"So what's going on? You were freaking out in the elevator."

"I have a huge crush on Ricky and the first night on the train he kind of broke my heart by telling me that he didn't want to have anything with me. The worst part is he told me he liked me too so it really hurt. I get why he doesn't want it, but it still hurt. And the other night he freaked out before you guys got here and told everyone I was using you to make him jealous." I paused to take a breath. "It's not true though. When I'm with you I feel different, but I don't know if I like you or not. I'm still really hung up on Ricky. But I love being around you." I pause again. "You have some kind of effect on my though. When you're around I don't think about him, and when you hold my hand it brings me back down to earth. And I feel calm. And…well…today it made me….kind of….really sad when Angel told me you said you didn't like me. So I don't know what's wrong."

He stood there silent for a while and I could feel my heart in my throat. Even if he walks out of the room right now I don't care. I just want him to do something. And then he does something I didn't expect. He grabs me by the waist, pulls me close and kisses me.

**So what do you guys think about Finn and Tess' little romance? I know it's been sneaking in there for the past few chapters so I decided today that I was going to give you all the first taste of what's to come. I'm not sure how far this is going to go. There are some twists that can either help or hurt them. So far we have 2 "couples" and I would love to know who your favorite is. Review, review, review!**

**Careers: Diamond, Titanium, Onyx & Slate (for now)**

**Scarlet & Crisis**

**Finn, Angel & Tess**

**Rose & Elm**

**Alone: Eric, Calla, Riley, Carter, Faith, Electra, Falon, Hazel, Joseph, Gigot, Garnet, Ricky & Isis**


	26. Chapter 25 Training Week Day 2

Training Day Two

POV of Crystal

I wake up and look at the clock. It's 10:30. I got to sleep late today because Sheen offered to bring Diamond and Titanium to training this morning. It feels nice to have a restful night's sleep for the first time in a week. Being a mentor is tough work. All the running around getting sponsors, showing off your tributes, training them and dealing with their back sass. It's stressful.

I walk into the dining room to see Nolan is in there eating a late breakfast.

"Join me?" He says with a smile. I smile back

"Of course." I grab a plate of food and sit down next to him. "When did you wake up?"

"About 10 minutes ago. Did you just wake up?"

"Yeah." I look around. "Where is Sheen?"

"What are you in love with him now?" He jokes. I playfully hit him.

"Yeah right. I was just wondering because the tributes went down and hour and a half ago."

"He is playing good mentor and is letting us have a lazy day." He winks at me. "It took a lot of bribing. Just so you know I am pulling a lot of over-nighters when they're in the arena."

"Well that sucks for you. " I laugh. Then I lean in and kiss him. "I might stay up with you a few times." He smiles.

"You better. I did this all for you." We don't talk for a little while so I could finish my breakfast. "So I thought maybe we could go into town or something like that."

"I thought maybe we could stay in and well…you know. Have a little fun." I wink at him as I place my hand on his upper thigh.

"I thought we were going to take things slowly?"

"Is that a no?"

"I think we should wait for now."

POV of Crisis

Learning how to track different animals is kind of hard. There are so many different footprints to remember, not to mention different things to look out for, like shit and broken branches. It's crazy. But I know it's important to know how to find food. Scarlet is learning about edible and poisonous plants. Next I'm going to go to snares and traps. Scarlet is going to learn fire starting. We are going to both go through all the stations but right now we're doing them separate to make sure we cover everything.

I get up to go over to snares and traps when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn around to see Scarlet standing behind me. "Hey baby. How was learning how to track?"

"Harder than I thought it would be, that is definitely one we need to do again. Because I'm not sure if I remember half of it."

"You just stood up." She laughed at me.

"I know." I laughed back. "Well I'm heading off to learn traps and snares. Are you still doing fire starting?"

"Yeah. You're learning how to catch us meat and I'm going to learn how to cook it." She gives me such an innocent smile that makes me more determined to make sure she wins.

"Good luck babe." I say, kissing her forehead. She smiles again.

"Thanks Crisis. You don't need luck. You're already awesome." She winks at me and runs away to the fire starting station.

As she runs I think to myself. "There goes the next Victor." The thought of her surviving it all makes me smile. I love that girl.

I walk over to the traps and snares station.

"Tributes, you have 15 minutes until lunch."

Alright, I have time to do this next station before heading out to lunch.

This station is a little easier than tracking, but not by much. I work my ass off and finally get a simple drop snare down pretty well. At least I'll be able to trap something. I start working on a hoop snare when lunch was called. I'll have to work on that one more tomorrow.

I find Scarlet putting out her fire, so I sneak up on her. I tickle her waist and she jumps. She lets out a cute little squeak as she turns around to see who "attacked" her. When she sees me she smiles.

"Oh, it's just you."

"Well who else would it be?"

"I don't know." She laughs. "Let's go eat." I grab her hand and we walk into the cafeteria. We grab large plates of food and find a table. "How did you do with the traps and snares?"

"Really well on one of them. I started a 2nd but then they called lunch so I need to do that one tomorrow."

"That's good. I can start a fire with matches and flint. Matches are easy but flint is evil." She starts laughing. "Next time I'm going to try with the sticks. That's the hardest."

"You'll be able to do it though. You're so talented." She blushes.

"You'll get your other trap too. Because you're strong and smart." She leans in and kisses me. I can't help but smile at her.

POV of Peeta

"Next we have the cake tasting." Effie reads from her clipboard. This is the part that I like the most.

"As long as it's chocolate I could care less what it is." Katniss says.

"can't we have other flavors too?" I ask. Katniss' head snaps my way and she glares at me.

"I want my chocolate. I hate these huge parties and if you all want me to show up there better be a piece of chocolate cake sitting in front of me and plenty more pieces for me."

"Don't worry; I will make sure there is tons of chocolate for you."A smile returned to her face and I couldn't help but laugh a little. She playfully hits me.

"Don't laugh at me!" She yells, but she smiles after so I know she thinks it's funny too. Effie stops in front of a large table of cakes and frostings. This reminds me of when we were planning for our wedding. Good times.

"Where is the chocolate?"

"Done by the end of the table." Effie says. Katniss walks towards the end of the table and samples every chocolaty thing there is. "So Peeta what are you going to do for the largest layer of the cake?"

"Well I like the raspberry filling with the vanilla cake and raspberry icing. The second layer I want to be a simple chocolate cake with french vanilla icing and white chocolate mousse filling. And the last 2 layer will be whatever Katniss wants." When she hears that her face lights up.

"I want this cake with this for the inside and this frosting." She says picking up each bowl or plate. I walk over and try each of them.

"Moist dark chocolate cake, a milk chocolate mousse with dark chocolate chunks in it, and a think chocolate fudge icing." I say.

"Alright, I'll go hand your order into the baker. And no Peeta you cannot help with this one." Effie starts to walk away. "Tomorrow we'll discuss what the cakes decoration will be." She walks through the kitchen doors to give our order to the cake baker. I wish I could help. I love baking. Effie comes back in. "Now we need to figure out decorations."

"Can't we wait for Prim to get here for that? She is better at that than I am, and besides you 2 get along better with this. She knows this stuff I don't." Katniss asks.

"I'll just ask Cinna to help me, since you're clearly too busy complaining to plan your decorations." Effie says storming off. I look at Katniss to see her giggling.

"You really don't mind doing this stuff do you?"

"Nope. I just like pissing her off. It's really funny. Now I know why Haymitch does it so often. She always has the best reactions."

"Like our first day on the train?"

"THAT'S MAHOGANY!" We both yell simultaneously. Then we burst out laughing. I know this is horrible, but getting reaped was the best thing that's ever happened to me. Yeah my leg got messed up and had to be replaced, yeah I saw people get brutally murdered and I have constant nightmares, but I got the love of my live out of it. Before the games I didn't have the courage to talk to her, but when I had nothing left to lose is when I gained everything I could ever ask for. Now I have a beautiful family with a girl I never thought I'd have.

POV of Stephan

The phone rings for what seems like forever before someone finally picks up. "Hello" a familiar voice answers.

"Hi mom."

"Stephan. How are you liking the Capitol now that you can actually see it?"

"It's okay I guess. Being a mentor is hard. Why did Angel have to get reaped? Why did Finn volunteer? It's made everything worse." I feel like I'm going to cry.

"I know sweetheart, I know. But it will all turn out fine. It will get easier as time goes on. You'll learn to cope." I know she's trying to cheer me up, but it's just not working. She says it will get easier, but I know that might not be true. She has barely improved in 25 years.

"I wish that Tess, Angel and Finn could make it out alive. That's the only way I won't be so stressed."

"I know its hard now. But as long as long as you try your best to keep them alive you'll have nothing to stress over. If they die and you did everything you could to prevent that then you'll have nothing to blame yourself for. Keep your head up."

"Thanks mom. Is dad there?"

"Yeah, let me go get him." I hear her put the phone down. It's silent for a moment as she goes to get him.

"Hey bud. How are you doing? I bet it's nice to spend so much time with your Aunts and Uncles. You don't see them much."

"It really is nice. I missed them a lot since I only saw Aunt Johanna last year. Granted I didn't want to see anyone and she refused to listen to that, but still."

He starts to laugh. "That's Jo for you. Peeta called today. He wanted to make sure your mom and I were coming to the big anniversary party. I told him that we'd be there. He also told me that you've been spending a lot of time on floor 12. It's amazing isn't it?"

"Yeah, I love it. It's so big and the view is breathtaking."

"I know losing…"

"Dad please don't."

He pauses for a while. "I know it's been hard for you. I know you feel guilty, but it wasn't your fault. You tried your best, and as long as you try your best now you'll have nothing to fear. Yes you are their life-line but it is not your fault if they don't make it. They need to try their best to survive. You can only give them the tools to survive, if they don't make the best of them it's not your fault. Do you want to know a secret?"

"Sure."

"Last year, I was only the extra mentor but I stayed up every night, ignored calls from your mother and barely ate anything…"

"Dad..."

"But guess what. I was forcibly taken from the control room 2 days before you won. I was nowhere near the center when you won. I spent every second, every hour thinking that if I didn't help you, you wouldn't survive. But you did it all by yourself kid. It was you. Now it's their turn. If they die it's because they couldn't do it, all you need to do is support their every move."

I stopped and thought for a moment. He wasn't in there watching me? I did it on my own? Really? "Dad I want Finn to be okay." I start to cry. "I want Angel and Tess to be okay too. I want them all to be okay."

"I know. It will all be okay Stephan. But this time if something goes wrong you can't shut down. It's okay to cry and feel sad. You have one of the largest support teams ever. Use them."

"Alright, I'll try."

"Stephan are you here?" Angel's voice rang through the halls.

"In here Angel." I pause. "Dad I have to go, Angel and Finn just got back. I love you. Tell mom I love her too."

"Will do, I'll see you in a few days. Until then keep your head held high. Stephan, I love you with everything I have and you can do this." We hang up the phone and I wonder into the living room. Angel is there but Finn isn't.

"Where is your brother?"

"Where else, with Tess."

POV of Finn

We drop Angel off on floor 4 and continue up to 12. Being alone seems kind of strange since last night's kiss.

"Tess about last night, I'm sorry. About the kiss, I just…it's just….you looked so sad when you said Angel told you I didn't like you."

"So it was out of pity? Thanks Finn, you're a great friend." Her voice was shaky. Is she crying? Damn it!

"No! I mean no. I was trying to prove to you that I lied…."

"What?"

"Well I didn't lie to Angel. When I told her no I didn't think I liked you as anything more than a friend. But in an instant it all changed. I realized that I really do care for you deeply. I know your heart belongs to someone else. At least that's what your head believes. But everything you described to me is everything I feel for you. And I want you to see that Ricky wasn't your only hope at having a normal life now. I know that in order for me to protect my sister we both need to die but I don't want now to be the end of my life. Ever since I met you I've been wishing there was a way I could save you too." My voice was pleading with her to believe me. I've never felt this vulnerable in my entire life. "I think I may be falling for you. I'm not sure because I've never felt like this. I've never really liked anyone before. I was afraid that I would be reaped or they would be. Now look at me. I'm spending all my time thinking about a girl that will ultimately try to kill the one person I'm trying to protect. I'm all confused and I just want you to say something to me. Please Tess."

"I don't know what to say. You surprised me last night with that kiss. And I'm not sure if I liked it or not." She pauses for what seems like an eternity. "Right now I need for things to go back to normal. I want us to be friends right now. I don't need the added stress right now. I want to figure things out with Ricky first. He seems like he's warming back up to me."

Oh. She still wants him. "Alright. I want to support you in every way I can." I know that I'm not doing a very good at hiding my sadness. I tinge of sadness is in her eyes hearing me like this. "I'm sorry. I just need to start thinking about Angel's survival again. I shouldn't have let a crush get in the way of this." When the elevator stops at 12 and the doors open, Tess walks out. She turns back at me.

"Aren't you coming?"

"No I think I should get back to Stephan and Angel. I've been ignoring them a lot lately." I say as the door closes me alone. The last thing I see is the sad look in Tess' eyes.

When I get back to 4 I don't see Angel and Stephan like I said I would. I rush straight to my room.

What was I doing talking to her about that? I messed up last night, and I messed up again tonight. What was I even thinking? Having a crush on someone I have to kill.

I don't want to kill her. I want to do the exact opposite. I want to love her. I do love her. But she loves someone else.

_2 hours later_

I rush to the elevator and practically punch the number 12 button. I need to see Tess. I have to talk to her about everything. I love her and I want to let her know that. I need to know if she loves him and if she does I will back off. But I need to know. And I need to know how he feels about her. I can't let him hurt her again.

The door opens and I sprint towards the main room. I see Peeta and Haymitch and Effie and Katniss, but not Ricky and Tess.

"Where is Tess?" I shout.

"Her room with Ricky; they seemed to make up today. I'm glad." Peeta said. "Why." I rush to her room. I knock, but no one answers. I open the door to see her and Ricky kissing. It broke my heart, but I was on a mission.

"Excuse me." I say loudly.

"Oh, Finn…look I can explain. Our talk today, it made easier to tell Ricky how I feel."

"Do you love him?" I ask.

"What?"

"Do you love him? Just answer me Tess. Please."

"I really like him, a lot."

"But is it love?"

"I guess not. Why do you need to know?"

"Ricky do you love Tess? And don't beat around the bush. Yes or no?"

"No." Tess turns her head to him and her eyes shoot with the same pain I saw when the doors closed between us.

"You said you did when we fought." She said.

"Well I did then or I thought I did. But seeing you with him made me realize that it was only a crush. Besides you just said you don't think you love me so what's the harm?" Seeing him brush it off like it was nothing enraged me.

"Apologize to her. Now!" I demand.

"Why do you care. Now if you don't mind I would like you to leave. We were busy before you came along." He said as he reached for Tess' arm. I couldn't hold it any longer. I snapped I grabbed his arm, yanked him away from Tess and punched him in the nose. I grabbed Tess and ran for the main room again.

I stopped in front of everyone else. "By the way Ricky is bleeding in Tess' room. If I get punished I don't care. It was worth it." With that said I dragged Tess to the elevator.

"What was that all for?"

"He was using you. He hurt you again. I wasn't going to let him get away with it again."

"What was all the questioning about love about?"

"Because Tess…."

"Because why Finn? Why did you have to ruin my only chance at a real life?"

"Because I love you and I think you deserve better than a guy that is using you as one last booty call! Damn it Tess why are you so stubborn?" I didn't realize I was yelling at her until I saw her face. She looked scared and shocked and sad all at once. "Tess I'm so sorry. I didn't know I was yelling." I grad her hand gently and pull her close to me. I embrace her, running my fingers through her long blonde hair.

"Finn do you really love me?" She asks so soft I barely heard her. I slowly lifted her chin up so I could gaze into those beautiful grey eyes of her's. My hand caresses her cheek as she leans into my palm.

"Of course I love you Tess. It took my exit in the elevator and my little fit in my bedroom…"

"Fit?"

"I'll tell you later. But I realized that the reason I couldn't stop thinking about you and always wanted to see you is because I love you. And I needed to know if you loved him. Because if you did I would have been fine with being just friends. But you didn't say yes, so I don't think I can just be friends with you. I want to be with you. I want to protect you."

She starts to smile, then laugh. "Do you have any idea how mooshy you sound right now?" I stare at her or a moment and then I start laughing too. I do sound ridiculous, don't I?

"I'm sorry. I just kind of got in the mood. I'm sorry it sounded so cheesy."

"It was kind of cute. It made me smile. So what do we do now?"

"Well Tess, that is entirely up to you. I love you a lot. I really do. But I don't want to push you."

"I don't know what I want yet." She pauses for a moment. "Where are we going?"

"A place that my parents went, and Katniss and Peeta went. Stephan went up here last year. It's kind of a couple's place."

"Where?"

"The roof." She smiles.

"Why is that so special?"

"I don't know, but let's find out." I grab her hand again as the door opens. We walk out to see a wide open roof-top. Hand in hand we walk over to the edge, sitting on one of the ledges. "It's so beautiful."

"Yeah it is. Finn thank you for bringing me up here, and away from Ricky."

"It was no problem; anything to protect you and see that beautiful smile of yours." She smiles and her eyes light up. I lean in to kiss her, but she pulls away. Damn! "I'm sorry again."

"Don't be. I just wanted to be sure that I'm not kissing another guy that's using me as one last booty call." She laughs. "But that's not a no, it's a let's see what happens."

"I'm willing to wait. Because even if it's as I breathe my last breath, I would die happy knowing you feel for me the same say I feel for you." With that I kiss he cheek and pull her close into my arms. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"Right now I can honestly say that I agree." She says as she nuzzles closer. There is nowhere in the world I'd rather be.

**Here are the alliances.**

**Careers: Diamond, Titanium, Onyx & Slate (for now)**

**Scarlet & Crisis**

**Finn, Angel & Tess**

**Rose & Elm**

**Alone: Eric, Calla, Riley, Carter, Faith, Electra, Falon, Hazel, Joseph, Gigot, Garnet, Ricky & Isis**


	27. Chapter 26 Training Week Day 3

Training Week – Day Three

POV of Slate

Breakfast was dull this morning. Chaos ranted at me about how we pissed Diamond off. Who cares, she does whatever she wants and doesn't care who she hurts. So why should I consider her feelings?

The ride with him down to the training center wasn't much better.

"Hey are you okay? Chaos was talking it all out on you even though it was my idea." Onyx says

"I know he's hard on me because I'm making the riskiest choice in the arena. I mean who deserts the careers on day 1? No one. And I know he's pushing me to win, why I'm not sure."

"Because he wants to retire."

"Onyx he's the extra, he gets to retire if either of us win. So why is he pressuring me and not you? You're the typical career. No offense. You're the safe choice. More than likely you'll be safe until like the final 3-5 if not higher. Me? The second I ditch the career camp I am fair game for EVERYONE, and you better believe Titanium, Diamond and Electra will want blood for the betrayal. I could die the 2nd day. So why is he pushing me so hard? Why is he holding me to a different standard?"

"Maybe because you have the courage to go out the by yourself and win honorably, and he didn't. Maybe you're doing what he thought about doing. Maybe he's trying to make amends for the wrongs he did in his games by pushing you to be better." She pauses. "That's just my guess."

Maybe she's right. Now I wish I had no clue again. This is added pressure that I didn't need. I need to talk to him. I need to know if Onyx is right.

Pair after pair begins to arrive. 12 shows up first; they look awkwardly at each other and the guy has what appears to be a broken nose. Interesting, I wonder how he got that.

The couple from 8 come in next. I'm jealous of how happy they are, but I'm not jealous of the situation they're in. I would be a mess if Jade was here with me.

The siblings from 4 are the last to get here. The girl runs to the girl from 12 and gives her a hug. The boy slowly follows. When he reaches the girls the one from 12 begins to blush. I wonder if they're a couple too. That would be even more tragic than the couple from 8. I wonder how he will choose who to save. I bet it's his sister. That must be eating away at him.

"Alright tributes, today's schedule is 9-10 strength, 10-11 survival, 11-12 weapons, lunch from 12-1. After lunch there's survival, then strength, then weapons and last survival again. You're going to get a lot of survival training today. Now get started."

Onyx and I pair up again, and so does Titanium and Electra. They seem to be hitting it off really well. I look over and see Diamond alone. She looks so sad.

"Hey Onyx, I'm going to check on Diamond. She looks so depressed. I think she feels left out."

Onyx looks over at Diamond. "Here let me do it. She needs a friend not an excuse to flirt with you." She chuckles.

"Alright, I'll be on my own from now on." I pause. "I need the practice."

POV of Skylar

Today is the annual victor's brunch. It's not horrible, but it's kind of like high school all over again. The careers sit together, 12, 11, 7 and 4 usually sit together; and the rest of us kind of wonder around mingling.

Today on the other hand is different. Because Electra has been included in the group Trin and I have been invited to join the careers. I'm not completely comfortable with it. I feel like one of them is going to stab me with a fork. I guess it's just uneasy feels after watching their games and being in my own. Careers aren't the type to be trusted, but if you can get in with them you you're set until they start to turn on each other or decide you're not useful anymore. Even though I don't trust any of them, I know that if I piss them off they could talk their tributes out of allying with Electra so for her I need to ignore my survival instincts.

"So Trinity, Skylar, how do you feel about Electra being a career?" Crystal asks.

"I believed she could do it. We pushed her to try since it's what she really wanted and it's one of her best bets to stay alive. Of course she understands eventually it becomes an individual thing, but for now being a part of a strong team is important. And who's stronger than the careers? I mean the nickname says it all." Trin answers. She's better at butt kissing than I am so I leave most the talking to her in these situations.

"What about you Skylar? You've been awfully quiet."

"I feel the same way. Actually after opening ceremonies we were worried she wouldn't make the cut. District 4 made such a splash that Electra and Carter were kind of ignored. We thought she might have lost her chance, but luckily she impressed in training. Like we knew she would." I say calmly.

"Titanium has really taken a liking to her." Nolan says. Really? That doesn't usually happen. I wonder if they just get along really well or if they have a little fling going on.

"Electra has seemed happier lately. But honestly we thought it was because she was a career now." Trin chuckled.

"She doesn't talk to you?" Sheen asks.

"Well Skylar is closer to her, but since she became a part of the group she hasn't really talked to us about much." Trin says.

"Titanium and Sheen are really close. It's really entertaining." Nolan says. I bet. I wonder how they will handle it when Electra sweeps the win right from under them.

POV of Katniss

"I don't know what's going on with Tess anymore. She barely talks to me. It's all about Finn now. And I don't even know if they're together of just friends or what." I say banging my head on the table.

"She's not independent the way you were. You acted like you didn't want my help, but expected me to help you anyway." Haymitch replies. I know he's right. I was a difficult tribute.

"But we had a system."

"Once you were in the arena. But before then there wasn't much of a plan."

"You weren't the most enthusiastic mentor either."

"But I helped you to stay alive now didn't I?"

"Yeah. Hey when did this become about me? I thought we were talking about Tess."

"She's found a friend. She found someone that she can depend on that is going through what she is going through right now. Both Tess and Finn volunteered to protect someone they love."

For once Haymitch makes sense. I know he's right, but it's hard feeling like I'm not needed at a time like this. But she does need me. I want to help her, but she's so busy being attached to someone else.

To be honest I'm scared. She might die in there and I feel like I'm losing what could be my last moments with her. "Haymitch what if she dies? Then we lost all this time with her."

"She will be fine. Since she could walk we all have been teaching her what we know just in case this ever happened. She has been trained like a career, but better. She not only knows how to fight, but she knows how to survive." He pauses. "Now stop whining and let's have a drink."

Good old Haymitch. Supportive when he knows you need it, but the second the bomb is defused he's back to his alcoholic tendencies. "You get the liquor, I'll get the glasses." I laugh.

POV of Rose

I love the time we have with the weapons. I get to practice with some I've never used before, and get better with the ones I have used.

"Rose what are we going to do next?" Elm asks.

I think for a moment. "I think we should practice with the bow and arrows. It will help us catch food without being noticed."

"Alright, let's go." He smiles and runs off to stand in line. I on the other hand, slowly walk towards it. I see the girl from 12 practicing there. She's pretty good, but I have a feeling she's holding back. Oh yeah, she's the niece of Katniss and Peeta Mellark. Isn't Katniss a world class archer? That's right she was able to keep them alive by hunting and trapping. This girl had to learn something from her. So she's someone to watch out for. "Rose are you coming?"

"Yeah, I'm coming. I just didn't feel like running." I like going slow, and checking out the other tributes. The careers show off with the weapons they've trained with forever. They think they're scaring everybody, but they're just giving everybody information on them.

As I reach the archery station the girl from 12 finishes. "Good job Tess." The little girl from 4 says. That's her name. When I get back to my room I need to write that down. I've been trying to keep notes about each of the other tributes. I plan on going over each bit of information every chance I get, so that I know the threats of each tribute.

"Thanks Angel. It's your turn to try." Tess says. Okay girl from 4 is Angel. She grabs a small bow a sheath of arrows and steps up to the line. "Alright, hold this arm out straight, with your hand right here. Now pull the string back with this hand, rest it gently on your cheek. Now focus on the target, aim for the red in the center. Are you ready?"

"Yep."

"Okay, take a deep breath and as you exhale let your fingers relax." Angel does as Tess says and she hits right outside the bull's-eye the first time. "Good job Angel that was great."

"I did it!" Seeing how excited she was I couldn't help but smile too. She reminds me a lot of my sisters. She's so innocent. I hope I don't have to be the one that kills her. It would really pain me to do so. Angel shoots a few more arrows, and then puts the bow away.

The instructor retrieves the arrows she shot as Elm looks over the bows. He finally finds one that is the right size for him as the instructor gives him the go ahead.

I see him using the instruction ess gave Angel. I'm glad we came over here. This is going to help so much, because I had no clue how to handle a bow and the instructors really could care less how well we do. But learning from someone teaching someone else they care about is the best way to learn.

POV of Tess

As I wave goodbye to Finn through the closing doors I can't help but smile. I'm still not sure what I feel for him, and I don't know if I ever will. But knowing someone loves me for me and wants to protect me lifts my heart. I know Angel is his main priority, but the fact that I am a close 2nd in a world where there shouldn't be anyone but yourself to look out for.

"Tess it's dinner time." Effie calls from down the hallway.

"Coming!" I run to my room, change my cloths and put on more deodorant. After I feel like I am decent again I go to the dining area. "Hello everyone."

"Who's this strange girl? I think we need to call security." Uncle Haymitch jokes heading for the phone.

"Uncle Haymitch it's me, Tess." I say taking the phone away from him.

"Tess, Tess. I had a niece named Tess, but she ran away with that boy from district 4." He laughs as he reaches out to hug me.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around much."

"Don't say sorry to me. You're Aunt is the one that's been a mess without you around. She feels like she's losing you already." I didn't realize she felt that way. I feel so guilty. As soon as he lets me go I run off to find my Aunt.

When I burst into her and my Uncle's room I see her sitting on the bed crying. "Aunty are you okay?"

"Tess, you're back. I didn't hear you come in." She says wiping her tears.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around."

"It's okay. I just miss you. I feel as if I lost you already."

"But you didn't. I'm still here. Now we should go get some dinner before Effie get's upset." She smiles as I grab a hold of her hand. I smile back at her. "I love you Aunty."

"I love you too Tess, and you have no idea how proud I am of you. You are so brave."

**Here are the alliances.**

**Careers: Diamond, Titanium, Onyx, Slate (for now) & Electra**

**Scarlet & Crisis**

**Finn, Angel & Tess**

**Rose & Elm**

**Alone: Eric, Calla, Riley, Carter, Faith, Falon, Hazel, Joseph, Gigot, Garnet, Ricky & Isis**


	28. Chapter 27 Training Week Day 4

**Once again sorry it's taken so long. Got a little stuck on this one, I'm trying to make sure that each character has the right amount of development. Some of them may seem like "extras" right now, but trust me it's all part of the plan. I hope you like it. **

Training Week Day Four

POV of Eric

I have been on my own now for a few days. It's been hard and I feel really alone. No one has approached me yet and it has me nervous. I need someone to work with or else I'm screwed in the arena.

All of a sudden the girl from district 3 walks to the station I'm at. "You're Eric right?"

"Yeah, and what's your name?"

"Riley, your district partner Calla came up to me yesterday and told me about you wanting an alliance. Well lucky for you I'm in the market for an alliance too. So what do you say, partners?" She asks reaching her hand out to me smiling.

"Yeah, of course." I say grabbing her hand and shaking it.

"You're stronger than you look. I've noticed you spend a lot of time lifting weights, and on the treadmill."

"Yeah, I was totally unprepared for being reaped. My dad is the mayor of our district so I don't need the extra food and I'm only 12 so I never thought I'd be reaped. My name was only in there once. But I was reaped and Calla made me realize I can either mope around and die when I get in there, or suck it up and train. So I started to do my best."

"Well it shows. Now get back to work. I have a mission for you though. I heard Slate and Onyx talking about how Slate is going to ditch the careers during day one. So I want you to convince him to join us."

"Alright. I'll do my best." She smiles and walks back to where she was before. I look around to find Slate. The careers paired up the other day and because there are 5 of them Slate was alone. He was on one of the 3 stair machines. Casually I walk over there and get on the one next to him. "Hi."

He looks over at me. "Hey, you're Eric right? You're one of the youngest ones here. How does it feel?"

"It's tough, but I'm not giving up. I'm a fighter." I pause for a moment trying to figure out how to talk to him about what Riley asked me to. "I heard you were going to quit the careers when you're in the arena." He quickly looked at me with wide eyes. He got off his machine and pulled me off mine.

"Where are you 2 going?" One of the instructors asked.

"Bathroom." Slate says. He doesn't wait for a follow up question. He just bolts towards the locker room, still holding my arm. "We only have a few minutes before either Titanium or an instructor comes in here. Now where did you hear that?"

"Riley, the girl from district 3 told me. She said she over herd you and Onyx talking about it. Is it true?"

"Yes, I am going to ditch the camp and play on my own. Why?"

"Because Riley and I want you to team up with us. Career or not you stand a better chance of surviving if you're in a group. And once the other careers figure out what you did, have numbers is your best option. Since Onyx is on your side with this that makes 4 against 3 if you're with us. Against us that 2 on 3. That will not only get you killed, but it will get her killed too. So what do you say? Are you in or are you going to push your luck?"

"I'll think about it. But we have to go. If Titanium comes in here he will be tempted to kill you."

"Slate!" Titanium's voice rang out through the locker room. "Are you in here?"

"Coming. Had to wait to use the restroom. That brat from 9 beat me in there." He said walking towards the door. He turned back and winked at me. I smiled knowing he just protected me.

I stood there for a moment amazed at what I had just done. I had pulled a career aside and talked with him. But instead of me being the one that was getting intimidated and bullied around, I had the control. It felt nice. Now I know that I have a fighting chance in the arena. I'm not as weak as I thought I was.

POV of Crystal

"Jezebel, can I talk to you in private?" I ask.

"Sure, anything." She replies. We walk out onto the deck and close the door behind us. "What's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you about the power struggle between our girls."

"I've noticed that too. From what I understand Onyx has stepped up because Diamond wouldn't listen to Slate about him having a fiancé back home."

"Diamond didn't tell me that. She said that Onyx was picking on her, and was jealous Slate was giving her attention."

"Well Slate has told Chaos that Diamond was getting on his nerves and wouldn't leave him alone. But Onyx is trying to create a relationship with Diamond. They paired up as you know and before my tributes were together. Yesterday Onyx went off and teamed up with Diamond."

"Diamond thinks Onyx only teamed with her so Slate couldn't."

"No offence Crystal, but Diamond needs to get over herself. Slate does not want her, and Onyx respects that and is trying to help Slate avoid the situation. If Diamond wasn't constantly flirting with him and trying to tell him that Jade doesn't need to know if they do something.'

Hearing that was a total shock to me. I never really thought about it being Diamond causing the issues. I think I should sit her down and talk to her about this. I don't want her lying to me; I want her to trust me. But most of all I want her to respect her teammates while they are teammates. If there is tension then she's going to be the first one they turn on. I need her to win. If she doesn't then I'm no closer to retiring and being able to get away from the political bullshit of being a victor.

"I'll talk to her. Because what I am hearing from you and what she's telling me are completely different. And if both of your tributes are saying the same things then that means she has to be the one with thing backwards." I pause. "So what do you think of the girl from 5 joining the group?"

"Onyx and Slate seem so get along with her fine. And from what I've heard her and Titanium have gotten pretty close."

"Sheen has told me that Titan likes Electra a little bit. I think it's kind of cute, as long as it doesn't interfere with him doing his best. If she backstabs him I think I'm going to rip my hair out." The 2 of us start to laugh.

"I hope that this doesn't backfire."

"You're telling me. It's my tribute that's attached to her."

POV of Finn

After lunch we get to play with the weapons. I see the spears and tridents, and it's almost like they're begging me to practice with them. "I'm going to go practice spear and trident throwing."

"Make sure you don't use your full potential. You want to save that for the Gamemakers." Tess says to me with a smile. I smile back at her and kiss her forehead.

"Don't worry. I just miss throwing a trident. It's like a taste of home, you understand right."

"I do, that's why I used the bow yesterday. I used teaching Angel as an excuse to use them." She chuckled a bit.

"And I almost got a bull's-eye." Angel cheers. I laugh a bit and hug her.

"I am so proud of you. It looks like Tess is a great teacher." I said smiling at Tess again. She blushed a little and that makes me happy.

I know I am slowly breaking through to her. Even if I have only one moment with her I want to have that romantic moment. I want to show her how I feel about her and I want her to feel the same way. It pains me to know she might not ever care for me that way.

I head off to the trident and spear station. There were a few people ahead of me so I waited patiently. I look around to find Angel and Tess. When I finally spot them I see they're not too far away from me. They were practicing with throwing knives and stars. I saw the girls from 1 and 2 there with them. It made me nervous. The girl from 2 hit her target every time and it made me realize that the arena is going to be a lot harder than I thought it would be. I always knew it the back of my mind that it was going to be hell, but seeing this reminded me that there are 21 other tributes fighting for their lives. Trying to survive and keep Angel and Tess alive is going to take everything I've got.

When I get my turn I pick up each trident testing their weight and feel of each one. I pick the one that feels like an extension of my body. Slowly I walk to the throwing line and toss it gently in the air, watching it spins. I take a few steps back, hold the trident like I do when I go fishing and charge back towards the line. As I reach the line I loosen my fingers and let the trident fly out of my hand. It soars through the air and hits the bull's-eye dead in the center. I have a moment of pride and then I realize I didn't hold back like I told Tess I would. Damn it. I look around and see that no one outside of the people at the station is looking in my direction. When I go to grab another trident I grab one I know is completely wrong for me. I don't throw it the way I know is best and I barely hit the target. Good now the first one looks like a fluke.

I don't throw another one I walk off to find another station. I see the girl from 7 throwing an axe and decide that I'm going to try that. It looks similar to throwing spears and tridents, but at the same time completely different.

I make my way over there and wait in line. When I get up to the rack of axes I grab a few of them trying to find one that doesn't feel too heavy or too light. I finally find one and step up to the line. I grab the handle with both hands, raise it up and over my head, and throw the axe at the target. I miss. This is a lot harder than it looks. That girl from 7 makes this look so easy. I try to think about what I saw her do.

First she checked out her axe. She felt it kind of like I felt my trident. Okay, I'll do that next time. Then she looked at the target and lined herself up. Alright, that's my next task. Then she raised it over her head, keeping her elbows bent with the axe basically behind her head. I didn't hold it like that. I saw her chest move out farther than normal breathing, so that means she took a deep breath before she threw it. Another thing I didn't do. And she let go of the axe the same way I let go of my trident, by first relaxing her fingers and letting them fall away from the handle. But one thing I didn't think of is when she let it go, when it was still above her head, but a little bit in front of it. This is what I need to do.

I try again and just barely hit the target. That's an improvement, but it's not good enough to make a kill if I need to. I see people behind me so I decide to pack up and find another place.

"5 minutes until survival time." The head coach says. Alright instead of getting in line just walk out of it I look towards the survival section.

I've spent a little bit of time in each station, but there are a few stations I feel comfortable with. Hook making and knot tying are the one's I'm best at by far. I had practice with them back home so I had a bit of a head start.

The next thing I'm comfortable with fire starting. Unfortunately I cannot do all 3 versions of fire starting. Matches I can get 90% of the time, flint only about 50% of the time and the sticks almost never, so if I don't get flint or matches I am probably fucked.

Other than that my abilities steadily decline. My hunting skills are basically non-existent, so I think I will work on tracking, traps and snares for as long as I can today.

POV of Crisis

Every part of my body aches. I feel like any minute my limbs are going to fall off. Scarlet went to bed before dinner tonight. For the first time in a while I feel alone. I stop and think about my life before coming here. I think about the orphanage and how even though I never knew it I had a family all along. I hated almost every single one of them, and I hated sleeping in the same room as every guy there, but there were people there for me when I needed it. I didn't have it that bad, when you think about how some other kids live. I was never full, but I wasn't hungry either.

Then I start to think about Tabi. I haven't thought about her much. I wonder if she's coming to the party. She's the only family I have, even if it isn't biological.

When I think back to the day I was reaped I become a little sad. Little did I know it, but that was the day that no matter what I do I lose at least one of the only people that's ever cares for me. If I win Scarlet dies, if I die I hurt both Scarlet and Tabi. And to think, that morning I woke up not caring if I was reaped or not. I probably jinxed myself by thinking that.

My life back then compared to now was much worse than I thought it was. I thought I had enough to eat before, but now being able to eat whatever I want whenever I want has made me realize just how hungry I really was. I thought the space I had under my bed was more than enough room, and now I see how big the Capitol rooms are.

Oh yeah, my stuff is still there. I know they'll keep them until I either win or die. They always do. My first bunkmate was reaped. They kept his things until he died on the third day. Then they gave all of his things to his little brother. He was my age. With a top bunk he had no place to put it all so he ended up needing to "rent" some space in the basement.

Renting is when you have to do extra chores, do odd jobs for people around the district for money or trade things for goods to help out the orphanage.

I wonder who will get my stuff. Probably Tabi or Scarlet (if she wins), or maybe split between the 2. Knowing Tabi she wouldn't give it all up. Scarlet will have a hard enough time trying to get some, let alone all of it.

Why am I thinking about Tabi so much? It must be because Scarlet is asleep. This is the first time we've been apart the entire time. But why should Scarlet not being by my side make me think about Tabi, or why would being with her make me not? I don't get it.

I close my eyes and I can see Tabi's smile. I miss it. That girl's smile was the only bright thing in the dark existence I called my life. I need to make sure she's invited. I got up to Resin. "I have someone to add of my invite list for the anniversary party."

"I thought you didn't have family."

"Well not really, but my friend Tabi has been in the home as long as I have and she's practically my sister. We grew up together and I'm going to be the ONLY tribute with no one there."

"I think I can pull some strings. But if anyone asks she's your cousin or something. Okay?"

"Anything you say. Thank you so much." Now I can say goodbye to her. I regret not saying when I had the chance, but now I have another one. I won't mess it up this time.

**I know this is only the 2nd time you've really gotten in Crisis' head but trust me all the lovey stuff plays a HUGE roll in his character development. Please review. Well here are the alliances.**

**Careers: Diamond, Titanium, Onyx, Slate (for now) & Electra**

**Scarlet & Crisis**

**Finn, Angel & Tess**

**Rose & Elm**

**Eric, Riley & Slate (in arena)**

**Alone: Calla, Carter, Faith, Falon, Hazel, Joseph, Gigot, Garnet, Ricky & Isis**


	29. Chapter 28 Training Week Day 5

Training Day Five

POV of Stephan

I woke up early so I could have some alone time with Finn. As I slowly walk to his bedroom to get him up I think about how the games are going to change my life forever yet again.

Then I think about how it is going to change the lives of everyone I know, no matter what happens. If Tess wins that means the Blacks lose their children, and Tess loses 2 friends. If Angel wins the Hawthornes and everyone back in 12 lose Tess, Angel loses her brother and her parents lose their son. If Finn wins he lost his sister and the girl he loves, and once again 12 loses Tess. I hate this! Why did all of them have to be in my first games as a mentor? Why did all of them have to be in it at all? Why did Angel and Rue have to be reaped? That's what caused all this bullshit. I hate the games more now than I did after I won. To be honest I NEVER thought that could be possible.

I become selfish again as I think about how Angel has helped make my nightmares disappear. Without her they will be coming back. Most likely I won't sleep much when they're in the arena. Partially because I want to do everything I can to save them, but also because Angel won't be by my side. My nightmares will be back and more than likely they will be worse than ever.

Reaching Finn's door I know he's not awake so I don't bother knocking. I open the door to see him sprawled out on his bed with the cover knocked off of him. Thank god he's wearing shorts. I think I would have flipped him off the bed if he wasn't.

Slowly I walk over to the edge of his bed and sit down. I look at him for a moment, knowing I only have a few days left with my closest friend from back home. I feel myself getting emotional and I block it out. I need to focus on keeping him alive instead of losing him. I place my hand on his shoulder and gently shake him.

"Finn, Finn wake up. It's Stephan." I whisper.

His eyes open about halfway. He looks at me in a daze for a moment before realizing its morning. "Hey Stephan." He yawns as he sits up stretching. "What time is it?"

"7:00."

"Are you kidding me? I don't have training until 9:00. I don't need to be up until like 8:00."

"Well I wanted to see my best friend before he rushed off to train for his death." I trail off towards the end, and it goes silent for a moment.

"Alright, what's for breakfast."

"It's the Capitol, you can have anything you want." We both laugh. "Now get dressed." I pat him on the shoulder as I get up and walk towards the door.

"Stephan. How did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Go into the games with the girl you love."

"Just get dressed…." I say as a close the door behind me. I didn't want to talk that right now. It still hurts so much to think about how the only girl I've ever loved died, when I promised to protect her. Now Finn is going to have to go through the same thing to save his sister. I would hate to have to make that decision. I would choose family of course, but it would be so hard.

As I reach the dining room I see that it's empty. I make my way to the table just as an Avox girl comes walking through.

"Me and Finn will be having breakfast now, if that's not too much trouble."

She bows her head letting me know she understands me, and goes back into the kitchen to inform cooks. Just then a groggy Finn makes his way in.

"So you never answered my question, and I really could use your advice."

"I know, but it's still so hard to think about." I pause for what seems like hours before I look up at him. "Finn, you have the hardest decision of your life to make. You have to either watch your little sister die or the girl you're in love with die." I pause again. "Watching someone you love fade away pulls at every emotion you have, well except happiness and excitement. You feel your heart in your head and breathing feels like it's making everything worse instead of better. And then seeing their face smiling down on you from the sky makes you want to join them. I don't really know what else to tell you Finn, other than cherish the time you have left with her. It will give you something to hold on to."

POV of Rose

I have decided to train with 3 main weapons; an axe, a bow and throwing knives. Since I'm already a pro with an axe I spend most of my weapons training practicing with the other 2. I'm starting to get pretty good the throwing knives. The bow, well I can hit something every time, just not always what I'm aiming at.

Elm has better luck with the bow than I do. But that's not saying much.

I can't believe the training week is almost over. Soon we'll be in the arena fighting for our lives and friendships go from advantages to handicaps. I still don't know what I am going to do with Elm. I don't want to kill him or for him to be killed, but I want to go home more than anything. If I don't….I don't want to think about what will happen.

As I wait in line to use the bow I think about seeing my family again. I'm both excited and nervous. But most of all I feel a bit guilty. When they come to see me I will have been well fed, while they are all starving. At least they'll get to eat at the party. There will be more food in one room than they've seen in their whole lives. It exciting and depressing. I miss them so much.

I am happy that if this is the last time they'll see me in person they'll be able to eat as much as they can stand and I will be healthy. I am no longer starving, and for one night they won't be either. That's what really matter.

POV of Peeta

"So you see because of her relatives Tess is more than ready to compete this year. She has all of mine, Katniss' and Haymitch's skill, plus some skills from her family back home. Her mother and grandmother are both world class healers back in district 12." I say to President Snow's daughter. Since me and Katniss won when she was our age she has been one of 12's biggest sponsors. She doesn't run out of money, because if she does all she has to do is go ask daddy for more. I think this may be one of the reasons Snow favors us so much.

"Please Peeta, tell me more."

"If I tell you all of it then I have no more tricks left up my sleeve for when she's in the arena. And we wouldn't want that would we." I laugh. She chuckles too.

"I guess you're right. But with you, Katniss and Haymitch coaching her I know she'll be a fighter."

"Does that mean we have the honor of having you as our sponsor for another year?"

Her face turns red. "Of course Peeta, don't I always sponsor your tributes, even when they have no potential?"

"Thank you Felecity. Tell your father I said hi, but I am late for a date with my wife. And you know how she can get." We both laugh. I give her a quick hug before running off to meet Katniss. Little does she know I had some of the kitchen staff create us a romantic picnic on the roof top.

I reach the front door to see the car is waiting for me. I jump in. "Punch it, I'm late." With that the driver raced back towards the tributes' building. When the car finally stops I rush out and through the main doors. I don't even pay attention to the lines of reporters and photographers. I know there are going to be some juicy stories about why I'm rushing back. No doubt someone will question my faithfulness to Katniss, but worlds are just words. Besides the gossip gives us added publicity that will help Tess.

I slide through closing elevator doors to see a few of the other mentors, none that I am really friendly with. Slowly the crowd disappears, as floor by floor people get off. Finally I am alone. The elevator seems like it is going a lot slower than normal. Katniss is going to kill me, I'm so late it's not even funny.

When the doors open I see my lovely wife glaring at me. "You're late."

"I know baby, I'm really sorry. But I have a surprise for you." I reach my hand out to her. "If you follow me you'll find out what it is."

She smiles at me, takes my hand a steps into the elevator with me. Now off to the only part of the day I enjoy, alone time with the love of my life.

POV of Slate

My muscles have never hurt this much before in my life. Yeah I get a break during lunch and when its survival time, but still the training is intense.

I push myself harder than any of the other careers do, but that's because most of them don't know I am not going to be in their alliance for much longer. It's funny how it's been about 2 weeks and I am already a part of 3 alliances; Onyx and me, the classic career alliance and then Eric, Riley and me. The Capitol will definitely love me. I will make great television.

"Slate, what are you thinking about?" Onyx asks me.

"How me leaving the careers will make for some great entertainment." I laugh.

"It will be even better when we join up after they're dead. I would do anything to see the look on everyone's faces. It will be amazing."

"Well if everything goes as planned one of us will see their reaction when it's all over."

"I'm betting it's me." She laughs pushing me slightly.

"Maybe in your dreams." I laugh back. All of a sudden she goes silent and her facial expression changes. "Onyx, what's wrong?"

"What is it like?"

"What?"

"What is it like? Having someone back home that loves you."

"It's amazing, I don't know what I'd do without Jade. She's my world, and once I win I'm going to marry her."

"How do you know she'll still love you after she watches you kill people?"

"I don't, but I trust her and I believe our love is real. If I found out she didn't love me anymore I think I might give up and let someone kill me."

"Are you crazy? We're supposed to have a honorable battle at the end. How can I feel good about killing you if you just give up?"

"I would still try, for my family. But I don't know how I would go on back home. Seeing her, knowing she's moved on. It would kill me." I pause. "She's helped me so much since….."

"Since what?"

"Since my parents….they forced my sister to volunteer. She was against the games like I used to be. She thought it was pathetic that our district was filled with people so eager to die for the Capitol's amusement. They threatened her in every way they could, my so called father even beat her when she was 16 for not volunteering before another girl. So to make it end and to save me and my 2 younger siblings she volunteered. Just before the final 8, when every usually split up the tributes from 1 pinned her down as the boy from our district slit her throat. My parents weren't saddened by her death; they talked down about her because she was killed. Watching her eyes flicker with fear as the people she trusted betrayed her broke me. She was my best friend, my hero. Jade let me know I wasn't alone. She helped me through the months of crying and lack of sleep. Slowly we fell in love and have been together ever since."

Onyx stands there silent for what seems like forever before she finally utter 2 small words. "I'm sorry." With that she walks away, and I'm alone again. I can't wait for this to be over, to be in Jade's arms again, to escape the hell that is my parent's grip on me. I can't wait to be free.

**Sorry it's taken so long. I got stuck on for a little while. Training week is almost over. I hope you all like getting inside Slate's head a little more, learning why his sister's death haunts him so much, and why Jade is so important to him. Please review and tell me if there is anything you would like to see and who your favorite character is. I haven't decided who's going to win yet so your fav could be the victor. Recommend me to friends please. This is my first fanfic and I love how many people read it, but I would love for more of our fandom to read it. Thank you. Once again I hope you like it. Well here are the alliances.**

**Careers: Diamond, Titanium, Onyx, Slate (for now), & Electra**

**Finn, Angel & Tess**

**Eric, Riley, & Slate (in arena)**

**Onyx & Slate (true alliance)**

**Rose & Elm**

**Scarlet & Crisis**

**Alone: Carter, Faith, Calla, Hazel, Joseph, Gigot, Ricky, Garnet, Iris & Falon**


	30. Chapter 29 Training Week Day 6

Training Day Six

POV of Tess

I know all the training is good for me, but it is starting to get boring. Granted every day the schedule changes, but it's still the same stuff over and over again. There are only so many stations to work at until you feel comfortable with everything.

On the other hand I do love spending time with Finn, I feel like I'm starting to really like him a lot. I'm still not entirely sure though. I know I love being around him, and that he makes me smile a lot. But does that really mean I like him? I didn't feel like this with Ricky, I wanted to be around him, but when we were together I didn't feel happy like I do with Finn.

"You ready to head down?" Ricky asks from the doorway behind me.

"Yeah."

"You okay?"

"I just have a lot on my mind, that's all."

"If you need to talk just let me know." I nod as I stand up from my chair and begin to walk over towards him.

"You know I'm sorry about what happened between us, all of it. I never meant to hurt you; I just don't want to hurt if I see your face shining down onto me from the sky." He hugged me. I hugged back. "Forgive me?"

"I forgive you, but I'm not sure if I trust you yet." My words seemed to hit him like a brick wall. I could see the sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry." I let him go and walk towards the elevator. I can't look back at him, knowing how much he's hurting right now is too much for me to witness. I know how he feels. That same feeling of defeat was what I felt the night he turned me down. I need to see Finn, he'll make me feel a lot better. He always does.

POV of Finn

I really hate Ricky, he keeps making Tess cry. I'm starting to think I'd enjoy killing him, getting payback for everything he's done to her. I think about all of this as I run on the treadmill. I'm up to 4 miles in 15 minutes. I'm going to need this stamina in the arena. I want to get up to 7 if I can. I doubt it though. I want to make sure I can still go far, when I'm exhausted and starving.

The longer I can run now the better chances I have later on. I focus most my time on weight lifting (in case I need to carry one of the girls) and on the treadmill. I don't care about speed as much as the other tributes do. I worry about distance. Speed doesn't do you any good in trees, but distance that works everywhere.

The supervising instructor comes over and tells me my time is up. I look down on the screen and see that I have gone up to 4 ½ miles. Not a big improvement, but a little is better than nothing. As I step down and towel off I feel a gentle hand on my shoulder. When I turn around I see Tess standing behind me. I smile.

"How was your run?"

"Good. What did you go off to do?"

"I lifted some weights for a while as you know because you joined me and then, Angel and I spared for a while. It was fun. She beat me one of the times." All of a sudden her face goes cold and she hangs her head to the floor.

"Tess, what's wrong?"

"Training week is almost over and that means the games start soon. All of this is almost over." I know how she feels. I don't want the games to begin. I want to stay in this moment forever. Even if she doesn't love me the way I love her. I want to keep her safe, I want to protect her. I know I can't unless I want to sacrifice Angel, but I never will. I couldn't trade Angel's life for Tess', but I would gladly trade mine. I came into this not wanting to win; knowing I was going to die so Angel could win. So sacrificing myself wouldn't be doing anything different than I was already planning.

"We shouldn't focus on how little time we have left. It will make it so much shorter. We should enjoy it while we can. Make happy memories so that if you win you have something to smile about."

"Same if you win."

"Tess I will never win, I have 2 people I want to win instead and my life isn't worth anything compared to them. The only way that could ever happen is if both you and Angel die. Then I would win for the both of you, but not for me." I pause and take her hands. "But I will never let you both die. I will protect you until my heart stops beating." I lean in and kiss her cheek, not wanting to freak her out like I did when I kissed her before.

A single tear rolls down her cheek. Her grip on my hand tightens. "Finn let's go to lunch. I don't want to talk about this anymore."

POV of Crystal

"Make sure you answer all the questions Ceasar asks you. If you miss a step he will be there to catch you so don't worry about it. And another thing, stick to your interview strategy. Don't ramble about anything unrelated to it. You don't want the Capitol to think you're scattered. Do you understand?" I ask Diamond.

"I understand. What kind of questions do you think he will ask?"

"It changes with each tribute. Careers are usually asked if they think there is any competition. I want you to sound confident, but not cocky. So mention there are a lot of great tributes this year, but that you know you have a fighting chance." I pause and she nods. "If he asks you about how, be honest. Mention your family that died in the games. Talk about how that affected your family and your decision to volunteer."

"Okay. What if he asks about what I think of the Capitol?"

"Kiss ass. End of story. I don't care if you hate it here, talk about the food, the colors, the people but compliment everything! You need to get as many sponsors as you can and kissing ass is the best way to do it if you're not playing up your strength."

"I have another question."

"Shoot."

"How do I walk in heels? With all the time I spent training I never really used them. At least not unless small wedges count."

"They don't and don't worry. I'll help you with that as well." And with that we were off to find a pair of my heels that would fit her so she could practice.

POV of Katniss

"Tess are you ready for your interview." I ask her as we sit down on the couch.

"Kind of. I've seen them a million times. I'm just a bit nervous. What if I don't know what to say?"

"He will help you. Trust me I had the same problem. Besides Cinna will give you some great instruction before you go out there, and you'll see all of us off to the side."

"Okay. Do you think he'll ask me about the reaping?"

"Definitely. He'll also bring up your relation to the victors. Make sure that if he mentions your untraditional family ties to some of them you assure him and the audience that even if there is no blood relation they are still your family." She nods.

"What if they ask about the other tributes?"

"Hint that you have an alliance. They'll love that. Compliment the other tributes. Don't look down on them even if they look weak. Your Uncle got a lot of attention for his kindness and so did I. Mostly about how I volunteered for your mother." I wrap my arms around her, embracing her. "Tess most of all, don't forget we all love you and we are all so proud of you. Better yet, we're all routing for you. Even some of the other victors. You're family and they wouldn't mind being a mentor for a bit longer if that means you're alive and well." I smile at her. "Now I think you should have Effie train you in manners and how to walk and all that bullshit. I hated it, but it made me feel a lot more comfortable walking in a dress and heals. So I guess it's not so bad." I laugh which makes her laugh. As she gets up to find Effie she turns to me.

"I love you Aunty." She says as she leans back down to hug me.

"I love you too Tess. And I know you'll make me proud."

**I know this chapter is pretty short, but I want to get the training week over with. It's starting to become a little repetitive and I'm running out of things for the people to work on. Next thing that will be posted is a skills chart. It will tell you what skills each tribute had attainted or improved after their training and how good they are at it. Some character will have only a few skills and others will have a variety. I hope you like it, and I hope it gives you an idea of how the battles will be like in the arena. Tell me who you think stands a better chance and who you think will be rivals. I would love to hear your input. And who knows your ideas may be featured in a chapter (or many). Thanks for your loyalty. Please review.**

**Alliances.**

**Careers: Diamond, Titanium, Onyx, Slate (for now), & Electra**

**Finn, Angel & Tess**

**Eric, Riley, & Slate (in arena)**

**Onyx & Slate (true alliance)**

**Rose & Elm**

**Scarlet & Crisis**

**Alone: Carter, Faith, Calla, Hazel, Joseph, Gigot, Ricky, Garnet, Iris & Falon**


	31. Update Tributes Skills Chart

**Tribute Skills**

**This chart features each tribute and the different skills/weapons that are available in the training center. In parenthesis next to each skill there is their skill level. It ranges from nonexistent to expert as the "decoder" bellow shows. Because each tribute was given the opportunity to practice with each skill/weapon it will be listed on under their name even if they have no idea how to use it (this was a new development to some of the tributes will have their skills "out of order"). I hope this helps you choose your "favorite" to win the games. Keep reading and reviewing.**

**Codes**

N/A-Not Applicable

H-horrible

B-Beginner

K-Okay

D-Decent

X-Expert

District One

Diamond: Melee weapons (x), Axe (d), Swords (d), Knot tying (k), Tracking (d), Traps/Snares (b), Spears (h), Daggers (b), Throwing Knives (h), Bow (h), Blow Darts (n/a), Staff (n/a), Wire/rope (n/a), Sickle (b), Strength (d), Climbing (b), Hand-to-hand Combat (k), Speed (d), Plants (h), Fire Starting (b), Shelter Building (h), Camouflage (x), Knot Tying (n/a), Hook Making (b), Stamina (k), Stealth (h), Swimming (n/a), Fishing (b), Knowledge of Fish (n/a), Knowledge of Animals (b), Knowledge of Wild Grain (n/a)

Titanium: Spears (x), Daggers (d), Shelter building (b), Plants (b), Swords (k), Throwing knives/stars (n/a), Bow (h), Blow Darts (n/a), Melee (d), Staffs (b), Wire/rope (k), Axe (b), Sickle (k), Strength (x), Climbing (k), Hand-to-hand combat (x), Speed (k), Stamina (d), Fire Starting (n/a), Camouflage (n/a), Knot Tying (b), Hook Making (n/a), Traps/snares (h), Tracking (n/a), Stealth (n/a), Swimming (n/a), Fishing (b), Knowledge of Fish (n/a), Knowledge of Animals (k), Knowledge of Wild Grain (n/a)

District Two

Onyx: Throwing knives (x), Spears (k), Stamina (x), Fire starting (d), Shelter building (k), Speed (d), Daggers (d), Plants (k), Swords (d), Bow (n/a), Blow Darts (n/a), Melee (b), Staffs (n/a), Wire/rope (h), Axe (h), Sickle (n/a), Strength (d), Climbing (d), Hand-to-hand Combat ( x), Camouflage (b), Knot Tying (n/a), Hook Making (h), Traps/snares (h), Tracking (x), Stealth (d), Swimming (k), Fishing (b), Knowledge of Fish (n/a), Knowledge of Animals (k), Knowledge of Wild Grain (b)

Slate: Swords (x), Daggers (x), Hand-to-hand Combat (d), Strength (d), Stamina (x), Fire Starting (d), Shelter Building (d), Hook Making (b), Spears/tridents (k), Throwing Knives/stars (h), Speed (d), Plants (k), Bow (h), Blow Darts (h), Melee (n/a), Staffs (n/a), Wire/rope (k), Axe (b), Sickle (n/a), Climbing (k), Camouflage (d), Knot Tying (k), Traps/snares (k), Tracking (x), Stealth (k), Swimming (h), Fishing (b), Knowledge of Fish (b), Knowledge of Animals (k), Knowledge of Wild Grain (k)

District Three

Riley: Throwing knives (d), Sword (d), Bow (b), Hand-to-hand Combat (d), Fire Starting (k), Hook Making (b), Strength (k), Stamina (x), Shelter Building (k), Spears/tridents (n/a), Speed (d), Plants (x), Blow Darts (x), Melee (k), Staffs (d), Wire/rope (x), Axe (n/a), Sickle (n/a), Climbing (k), Camouflage (k), Knot Tying (d), Traps/snares (x), Tracking (h), Stealth (b), Swimming (n/a), Fishing (n/a), Knowledge of Fish (n/a), Knowledge of Animals (d), Knowledge of Wild Grain (k)

Gigot: Tracking (b), Blow Darts (d), Spears/tridents (n/a), Swords (b), Daggers (k), Throwing Knives/stars (h), Bow (n/a), Melee (k), Staffs (k), Wire/rope (x), Axe (n/a), Sickle (n/a), Strength (h), Speed (d), Stamina (b), Hand-to-hand Combat (h), Stealth (k), Plants (b), Fire Starting (k), Shelter Building (b), Camouflage (k), Knot Tying (d), Hook Making (d), Traps/snares (d), Climbing (b), Swimming (b), Fishing (b), Knowledge of Fish (h), Knowledge of Animals (b), Knowledge of Wild Grain (n/a)

District Four

Angel: Knot tying (k), Hook Making (x), Bow (d), Spears (d), Swimming (x), Plants (d) Swords (b), Daggers (d), Throwing Knives/stars (h), Blow Darts (b), Melee (d), Staffs (k), Wire/rope (x), Axe (h), Sickle (n/a), Strength (k), Speed (d), Stamina (d), Hand-to-hand Combat (b), Stealth (d), Fire Starting (d), Shelter Building (k), Camouflage (k), Traps/snares (k), Tracking (b), Climbing (x), Fishing (d), Knowledge of Fish (x), Knowledge of Animals (k), Knowledge of Wild Grain (k)

Finn: Spears/tridents (x), Swords (k), Daggers (d), Throwing Knives/stars (k), Bow (d), Blow Darts (n/a), Melee (b), Staffs (h), Wire/rope (x), Axe (k), Sickle (n/a), Strength (d), Speed (x), Stamina (d), Hand-to-hand Combat (d), Stealth (b), Plants (k), Fire Starting (d), Shelter Building (d), Camouflage (k), Knot Tying (x), Hook Making (x), Traps/snares (b), Tracking (d), Climbing (k), Swimming (x), Fishing (x), Knowledge of Fish (x), Knowledge of Animals (k), Knowledge of Wild Grain (d)

District Five

Electra: Spears/tridents (n/a), Swords (k), Daggers (d), Throwing Knives/stars (b), Bow (h), Blow Darts (n/a), Melee (x), Staffs (x), Wire/rope (k), Axe (b), Sickle (n/a), Strength (x), Speed (d), Stamina (d), Hand-to-hand Combat (d), Stealth (k), Plants (h), Fire Starting (k), Shelter Building (b), Camouflage (h), Knot Tying (k), Hook Making (n/a), Traps/snares (b), Tracking (h), Climbing (k), Swimming (n/a), Fishing (b), Knowledge of Fish (b), Knowledge of Animals (b), Knowledge of Wild Grain (d)

Carter: Spears/tridents (n/a), Swords (k), Daggers (k), Throwing Knives/stars (n/a), Bow (h), Blow Darts (h), Melee (d), Staffs (d), Wire/rope (x), Axe (n/a), Sickle (n/a), Strength (n/a), Speed (x), Stamina (h), Hand-to-hand Combat (h), Stealth (h), Plants (k), Fire Starting (b), Shelter Building (k), Camouflage (k), Knot Tying (x), Hook Making (d), Traps/snares (d), Tracking (n/a), Climbing (h), Swimming (b), Fishing (k), Knowledge of Fish (n/a), Knowledge of Animals (k), Knowledge of Wild Grain (b)

District Six

Faith: Spears/tridents (h), Swords (k), Daggers (k), Throwing Knives/stars (n/a), Bow (k), Blow Darts (d), Melee (d), Staffs (d), Wire/rope (n/a), Axe (n/a), Sickle (n/a), Strength (h), Speed (k), Stamina (h), Hand-to-hand Combat (b), Stealth (k), Plants (d), Fire Starting (d), Shelter Building (x), Camouflage (d), Knot Tying (b), Hook Making (n/a), Traps/snares (b), Tracking (n/a), Climbing (n/a), Swimming (n/a), Fishing (b), Knowledge of Fish (h), Knowledge of Animals (b), Knowledge of Wild Grain (h)

Falon: Spears/tridents (n/a), Swords (n/a), Daggers (k), Throwing Knives/stars (n/a), Bow (h), Blow Darts (d), Melee (k), Staffs (d), Wire/rope (b), Axe (n/a), Sickle (b), Strength (b), Speed (k), Stamina (h), Hand-to-hand Combat (b), Stealth (n/a), Plants (d), Fire Starting (h), Shelter Building (d), Camouflage (d), Knot Tying (k), Hook Making (n/a), Traps/snares (d), Tracking (d), Climbing (d), Swimming (k), Fishing (h), Knowledge of Fish (d), Knowledge of Animals (d), Knowledge of Wild Grain (h)

District Seven

Rose: Spears/tridents (n/a), Swords (k), Daggers (k), Throwing Knives/stars (d), Bow (k), Blow Darts (n/a), Melee (h), Staffs (n/a), Wire/rope (b), Axe (x), Sickle, Strength (x), Speed (k), Stamina (k), Hand-to-hand Combat (x), Stealth (d), Plants (x), Fire Starting (d), Shelter Building (d), Camouflage (d), Knot Tying (k), Hook Making (b), Traps/snares (b), Tracking (k), Climbing (x), Swimming (n/a), Fishing (b), Knowledge of Fish (h), Knowledge of Animals (d), Knowledge of Wild Grain (d)

Elm: Spears/tridents (k), Swords (d), Daggers (b), Throwing Knives/stars (n/a), Bow (d), Blow Darts (n/a), Melee (h), Staffs (b), Wire/rope (k), Axe (x), Sickle (n/a), Strength (d), Speed (x), Stamina (k), Hand-to-hand Combat (d), Stealth (b), Plants (x), Fire Starting (k), Shelter Building (k), Camouflage (k), Knot Tying (n/a), Hook Making (b), Traps/snares (h), Tracking (n/a), Climbing (d), Swimming (n/a), Fishing (b), Knowledge of Fish (n/a), Knowledge of Animals (d), Knowledge of Wild Grain (k)

District Eight

Scarlet: Spears/tridents (n/a), Swords (d), Daggers (d), Throwing Knives/stars (x), Bow (b), Blow Darts (n/a), Melee (b), Staffs (b), Wire/rope (k), Axe (n/a), Sickle (n/a), Strength (b), Speed (d), Stamina (k), Hand-to-hand Combat (b), Stealth (d), Plants (b), Fire Starting (d), Shelter Building (k), Camouflage (d), Knot Tying (k), Hook Making (b), Traps/snares (k), Tracking (b), Climbing (k), Swimming (d), Fishing (d), Knowledge of Fish (b), Knowledge of Animals (b), Knowledge of Wild Grain (d)

Crisis: Spears/tridents (h), Swords (d), Daggers (k), Throwing Knives/stars, (n/a) Bow (n/a), Blow Darts (h), Melee (b), Staffs (b), Wire/rope (k), Axe (n/a), Sickle (n/a), Strength (d), Speed (d), Stamina (d), Hand-to-hand Combat (d), Stealth (k), Plants (x), Fire Starting (x), Shelter Building (d), Camouflage (d), Knot Tying (d), Hook Making (h), Traps/snares (b), Tracking (d), Climbing (n/a), Swimming (n/a), Fishing (h), Knowledge of Fish (x), Knowledge of Animals (x), Knowledge of Wild Grain (k)

District Nine

Calla: Spears/tridents (n/a), Swords (b), Daggers (d), Throwing Knives/stars (b), Bow (n/a), Blow Darts (n/a), Melee (k), Staffs (k), Wire/rope (b), Axe (n/a), Sickle (n/a), Strength (k), Speed (x), Stamina (x), Hand-to-hand Combat (k), Stealth, Plants (k), Fire Starting (d), Shelter Building (b), Camouflage (b), Knot Tying (k), Hook Making (d), Traps/snares (k), Tracking (x), Climbing (b), Swimming (n/a), Fishing (b), Knowledge of Fish (n/a), Knowledge of Animals (b), Knowledge of Wild Grain (x)

Eric: Spears/tridents (b), Swords (k), Daggers (k), Throwing Knives/stars (n/a), Bow (n/a), Blow Darts (x), Melee (b), Staffs (b), Wire/rope, Axe (n/a), Sickle (k), Strength (k), Speed, Stamina (x), Hand-to-hand Combat (d), Stealth (d), Plants (d), Fire Starting (k), Shelter Building (h), Camouflage (h), Knot Tying (d), Hook Making (d), Traps/snares (k), Tracking (x), Climbing (b), Swimming (n/a), Fishing (b), Knowledge of Fish (k), Knowledge of Animals (k), Knowledge of Wild Grain (x)

District Ten

Hazel: Spears/tridents (n/a), Swords (b), Daggers (k), Throwing Knives/stars (n/a), Bow (k), Blow Darts (k), Melee (d), Staffs (x), Wire/rope (d), Axe (n/a), Sickle (n/a), Strength (b), Speed (d), Stamina (k), Hand-to-hand Combat (h), Stealth (n/a), Plants (k), Fire Starting (b), Shelter Building (k), Camouflage (h), Knot Tying (d), Hook Making (n/a), Traps/snares (d), Tracking (b), Climbing (n/a), Swimming (n/a), Fishing (n/a), Knowledge of Fish (n/a), Knowledge of Animals (k), Knowledge of Wild Grain (h)

Garnet: Spears/tridents (b), Swords (h), Daggers (x), Throwing Knives/stars (n/a), Bow (h), Blow Darts (h), Melee (n/a), Staffs (n/a), Wire/rope (n/a), Axe (n/a), Sickle (n/a), Strength (d), Speed (k), Stamina (x), Hand-to-hand Combat (k), Stealth (b), Plants (k), Fire Starting (b), Shelter Building (k), Camouflage (k), Knot Tying (n/a), Hook Making (n/a), Traps/snares (h), Tracking (b), Climbing (n/a), Swimming (h), Fishing (n/a), Knowledge of Fish (n/a), Knowledge of Animals (x), Knowledge of Wild Grain (k)

District Eleven

Iris: Spears/tridents (n/a), Swords (k), Daggers (x), Throwing Knives/stars (b), Bow (n/a), Blow Darts (x), Melee (n/a), Staffs (n/a), Wire/rope (n/a), Axe (n/a), Sickle (d), Strength (k), Speed (d), Stamina (x), Hand-to-hand Combat (k), Stealth (x), Plants (d), Fire Starting (d), Shelter Building (x), Camouflage (x), Knot Tying (k), Hook Making (b), Traps/snares (d), Tracking (d), Climbing (x), Swimming (h), Fishing (k), Knowledge of Fish (h), Knowledge of Animals (h), Knowledge of Wild Grain (b)

Joseph: Spears/tridents (h), Swords (d), Daggers (n/a), Throwing Knives/stars (n/a), Bow (b), Blow Darts (n/a), Melee (b), Staffs (b), Wire/rope (h), Axe (n/a), Sickle (d), Strength (d), Speed (k), Stamina (b), Hand-to-hand Combat (d), Stealth (h), Plants (k), Fire Starting (n/a), Shelter Building (n/a), Camouflage (n/a), Knot Tying (h), Hook Making (n/a), Traps/snares (h), Tracking (b), Climbing (x), Swimming (n/a), Fishing (n/a), Knowledge of Fish (n/a), Knowledge of Animals (k), Knowledge of Wild Grain (k)

District Twelve

Tess: Spears/tridents (b), Swords (b), Daggers (d), Throwing Knives/stars (n/a), Bow (x), Blow Darts (h), Melee (k), Staffs (k), Wire/rope (d), Axe (n/a), Sickle (n/a), Strength (d), Speed (x), Stamina (d), Hand-to-hand Combat (k), Stealth (d), Plants (x), Fire Starting (d), Shelter Building (k), Camouflage (x), Knot Tying (d), Hook Making (k), Traps/snares (d), Tracking (d), Climbing (d), Swimming (d), Fishing (k), Knowledge of Fish (k), Knowledge of Animals (x), Knowledge of Wild Grain (k)

Ricky: Spears/tridents (k), Swords (b), Daggers (d), Throwing Knives/stars (n/a), Bow (n/a), Blow Darts (n/a), Melee (x), Staffs (d), Wire/rope (k), Axe (n/a), Sickle (n/a), Strength (d), Speed (k), Stamina (k), Hand-to-hand Combat (x), Stealth (n/a), Plants (n/a), Fire Starting (k), Shelter Building (d), Camouflage (d), Knot Tying (b), Hook Making (h), Traps/snares (k), Tracking (h), Climbing (n/a), Swimming (n/a), Fishing (n/a), Knowledge of Fish (n/a), Knowledge of Animals (n/a), Knowledge of Wild Grain (k)


	32. Chapter 30 Training Week Day 7

**Alright everyone first of all I would like to thank a lot of you for your loyalty and feedback. I am taking some of your comments into consideration and I've realized that great minds really do think alike. I have loads of twists and turns planned for the arena so keep reading to find out who wins and what the Capitol has in store for our tributes this years.**

Training Day Seven/Private Sessions

POV of Slate

Today is the last day of training and later we have our private sessions. I'm kind of nervous about it. If I do too good then I become a target, if I don't get good enough I lose all chances at getting sponsors. I have to get like an 8 or 9.

I need to make sure I get as many sponsors as possible because I know I'm going to lose some of them when I run out on the careers. Die-hard fans are going to be pissed at my early betrayal, but the whole point is to survive and staying the careers is going to get me killed in my sleep or ganged up on. At least if I'm on my own or with people that feel like they need me I have a chance, but with people that have equal strengths my chances decrease considerably.

All these thoughts go through my head as I make my way over to the shelter building station. I have gone through it a few times, but I know I could still do better. I want to make sure I can survive out beyond the security of the cornucopia and the career camp.

When I get there I sit down as the instructor begins to explain the basics.

"Okay, there are multiple categories of shelter. The most basic is a simple Lean To. Find a surface and lean sticks against it with enough room to lie down. After the frame is created start at the bottom layering the outside of it with leaves. This applies for all shelters. On the inside layer leaves, moss and shredding tree bark. This will insulate your shelter, preserving your body heat and also will help conceal your shelter from enemies and predators." He pauses. "Then you have a simple pyramid shelter. Take 3 sticks and make a tripod with it. After that take sticks that are the same size as the original 3 and form the walls. You layer the leaves on this one much the same as the last." He pauses. "Now those are the 2 most likely shelters that you'll be creating out there. Go practice."

As I take a seat at one of the practice areas I review my materials. I have a large pile of sticks, a pile of leaves, a pile of fresh branches with leaves still on it, moss and a whole bunch of other things. I start working on a Lean To when Eric walks over to me.

"You're already doing it wrong. Your base is too far out. It's going to fall on you if the wind blows or anything touches it."

"What do know about this?"

"Just trust me, besides why would I lie to you. We both know that wouldn't be smart for me." Damn I wish this child wasn't so blunt about everything. If someone hears him I'm fucked.

POV of Finn

It's almost time for our private sessions. Right after lunch they'll begin with guys 1st going down through the districts. I feel bad for Tess; she will be the last person in there. That has to be the longest wait in the world. I'm glad I am from 4, that means I get seen relatively quick.

I might wait for Tess though, to make her feel a little better. Besides I don't want Ricky to be alone with her, that's never a good idea. I don't trust him at all, even though Tess has forgiven him for all his games. I can't wait to kill him in the arena, free her from his trap.

"Lunch time!" The head coach announces. I begin to walk towards the door, knowing the girls will be waiting for me by the door. As I get closer I see Angel smiling and waving at me, but no Tess. That's weird. She's always waiting for me.

"Where's Tess?"

"She is already in there. She's kind of nervous and really hungry so I told her that I would wait out here for you."

"Is she alright?"

"Why don't you go see for yourself." She says walking away from me. She turns back to smile at me before continuing into the cafeteria. I follow her to the table we usually sit at. Tess is already there, spacing out looking at the wall. Slowly I approach her and lay my hand on her shoulder.

"Tess, are you okay?"

"Nervous. I have the longest time to wait, more time to psych myself out."

"You'll do fine. You are the most talented tribute here. I wouldn't be surprised if you get a perfect score." I smile at her.

"You really think so?"

"Of course, now cheer up and get some food."

"Will you go with me?"

"I'd go anywhere with you." I said as I reached my hand out to her. When she slid her hand into mine I smiled at her. This caused her face to turn a pale pink and a faint smile creep across her face. "As long as your hand is in mine."

POV of Rose

I can't help but think about how Elm is doing as I wait in the near empty cafeteria. I hope he's doing okay.

Before I know it my name is called and I'm making my way to the training room. As I step through the doors I see the Gamemakers in their little box, protected by a force field. I stand in the middle of the field as all eyes are on me. "My name is Rose, Rose Styles. I am the female tribute from district 7!" I shout.

"Proceed." The head Gamemaker, Seneca Crane says. I make my way over to the axe station. I know they've seen this before so I need to be flawless, there isn't anything special about a kid from the lumber district that can throw an axe. I have to do my trick, blindfolded.

I walk over to the medic station and grab a piece of cloth. I can tell I have peeked the interest of my viewers. "Watch this." I say as I make my way back to the axe station. I secure the cloth around my eyes and take a deep breath. I need to nail this shot, all of them. "I need someone to hand me the axes. I will be throwing 5 of them." I murmur comes from the balcony as the excitement rises. Here it goes, if I mess this up my score will surely suffer, but if I make it I will have one of the best scores in the game. I am handed an axe. I feel it's weight for a moment, center my body and place my hand on the bottom of the handle. As I inhale again I bring the axe above my head, alright Rose it's now or never. I swing my arms forward as I exhale releasing the handle and letting the deadly weapon fly towards its target. I listen for the sound of it hitting and as it does I hear gasps. It grows silent again and I am handled another axe. I repeat this 4 other times before taking off my blindfold. When I look up I see that I have made 1 bull's eye, and the other 4 aren't too far off. I nailed it.

I throw my blindfold to the floor and race clear across the room to the strength section, showing off my speed before jumping onto the climbing wall and scaling the whole thing in under a minute. From there I just to the climbing rope and climb down.

Then I sort the edible plants, the poisonous plants and the healing plants before the buzzer goes off.

"That will be enough." Seneca explains.

"Thank you for your time." I say before exiting the room. I see Elm waiting for my by the elevator. "How'd you do?"

"I think I did great. What about you?"

"I got a bull's eye and 4 close 2nds blindfolded. You tell me how I did." I laugh. He hugs me.

"Rose you're amazing. I wouldn't be surprised if you have the best score this year, or ever." He exclaims before we entered the elevator. I know he's right and it excites me. I have more of a shot at winning this thing than I thought I did. But that only means that Elm's chances have decreased. I'm sorry Elm, but my family needs me a whole lot more than you do. But I know I will never forgive myself for killing you.

POV of Crisis

"I'll be waiting for you by the elevator okay?" I say to Scarlet. "And make sure to show them how awesome you are with throwing knives and throwing stars, they'll love that."

"Don't worry about me, focus on you. You need a good score too. We won't get any sponsors if one of us does good and the other bombs. We both need to do good." She says kissing my cheek. "I believe in you."

"I believe in you too." I smile.

"Now get going, will you? I want to get this over with already and I can't until you do."

"I'll see you soon." I place her cheek in the palm of my hand. "I love you baby."

"I love you too." She says nuzzling into my hand more. I pull her close to me and embrace her for a moment. "Now go." She say looking up at me. "I'll be fine."

"Okay. Wish me luck?" I say letting go of her.

"You don't need it." She smiles. With that I begin to walk to the training room. The double doors swing open and I see a group of impatient Gamemakers. Shit I already pissed them off.

"I am Crisis Evans from district 8."

"Your time starts now." Seneca Crane announces. Alright I'm best with a staff so I'm going to do that first. I run over to the staffs and start swinging it around, using my body weight to create momentum and make precise moves. I twirl it and jab it into the dummies as I glide through them. I must look light on my feet and graceful right now, because that's how I feel.

By the time I'm done I'm out of breath and sweating. I don't stop for a breather I just run over to the fire starting station. I create 3 box stacks with the sticks, filling each one with tinder. I start the first one with match, the next with flint and the last with 2 sticks.

I look up to see that the Gamemakers are kind of impressed but I'm not doing anything special so far, and I know it's true. So I run to the traps and snares station.

I create a few simple traps before my time is called. That went by a lot faster than I thought it would. I think I did good, but not great. I hope I didn't let Scarlet down. I walk out without saying anything to them and head for the elevator. Come on Scar, I know you can do this. You're amazing with all this stuff. Show them you're worth saving, because without their help it's going to be a lot harder to keep my promise.

POV of Eric

I know I'm not the best tribute here but I do know that since I was reaped, no one has worked harder than me. I have put in so many hours of training that I barely recognize myself. If anyone here deserves a good score it's me.

I wonder how Slate and Riley did. Good I hope. I'm counting on their sponsors too. The more we can get the better.

"Eric Walden, you're up." A man comes in and says. I look to Calla.

"Good luck kid, do your best and you'll be fine." I smile and nod before turning towards the door. I look back for a quick moment.

"Good luck Calla."

"Thanks." She smiles at me. I smile back. She might be my enemy in the arena, but until then she's my friend and a good one at that.

I walk into the center of the room and announce myself. Seneca Crane nods to signal my time has begun.

I rush to the blow dart station, grab a tube and a sack of plain darts. I begin to shoot the dummies in vital stops; hitting them in areas that would spread poisons quickly through the blood stream and do anything from knock out to kill my opponent in a matter of minutes.

After "killing" all of my dummies I make my way to knot tying station. I make as many knots as I can in 2 minutes before rushing to my next station. I want to get in as much as I can in the short amount of time they have given me.

I name off as many wild grains as I can and where to find them as I pick each of them up. I build a quick shelter, remembering the advice I gave Slate this morning. I know I'm not the best at building shelters, but I know what's wrong so I try to do the opposite. It stands pretty sturdy and I'm glad. This was my sink or swim moment and I guess I swam.

"Thank you Eric, you can go now." Seneca said. I nod my head and exit quietly. Now all that's left to do it wait.

POV of Tess

Instinctively I grab a bow, feel its weight and test the tautness of the string. It's perfect, what are the odds. I take a quiver of arrows and make my way to the targets. I line up my shot and release my arrow, Bull's eye.

I grab 3 arrows next and set them up. Alright Tess, you've done this a million times before. I line up the shot, pull the string back and take a deep breath. Like always, when I exhale I relax my fingers, sending the arrows flying towards the target. The middle of splits the 1st arrow in half and the other 2 hit their marks perfectly.

Next I shoot rapid fire 3 arrows right after the other, each splitting the one before it in half.

I run clear across the room demonstrating my speed and trying to make up some time. I begin to camouflage my arm like a rock and it blends perfect. Next I make my other hand look like tree barks.

Not bothering to rinse it off I dash over to traps and snares. I make everyone my Uncle Gale has taught me over the years.

Next I identify each plant and all of its uses and how to counter the poisons from the deadly plants. I know that the chances of another tribute knowing that is slim. I learned that from my mom because she's an amazing healer. They didn't teach that information here. I move some fire starting equipment to a climbing rope and set up a small pyramid stack. I drop the match and race up the rope to avoid the flames. When I reach the stop I jump, bring my knees to my chest and roll as I land.

I pause for a moment to catch my breath as Seneca stands up. His eyes filled with shock and excitement. He begins to clap and shortly the other join in. I smile.

"Thank you. I am done now." I say politely and then walk out the door. I run to Finn who is still waiting for me. "Oh my good Finn, I did amazing. They clapped for me." I squealed. I lifted my up and spun me around.

"That's great Tess." He says. Suddenly our eyes meet and the world seems to slip away. I lean down, closing my eyes as I go. My lips meet his in a tender kiss. Gently he put me back on the ground and pulls me close to his chest, all the while still kissing me. Slowly he pulls away, letting the kiss linger. I open my eyes to meet his again. "I love you Tess."

"I love you too Finn."

**I hope you enjoyed the private sessions. I was so excited about writing them. The last little bit was for those of you that wanted to see more of Tess and Finn. Please review.**

**Oh and I have some good personal news to share with all of you. This weekend I was proposed to by my loving boyfriend. So my updates might be a little slow while I do wedding planning, but I do promise to update faster than I have been now that everything is going to be more fast passed. **

**Alliances.**

**Careers: Diamond, Titanium, Onyx, Slate (for now), & Electra**

**Finn, Angel & Tess**

**Eric, Riley, & Slate (in arena)**

**Onyx & Slate (true alliance)**

**Rose & Elm**

**Scarlet & Crisis**

**Alone: Carter, Faith, Calla, Hazel, Joseph, Gigot, Ricky, Garnet, Iris & Falon**


	33. Chapter 31 Anniversary Party

Anniversary Party

POV of Katniss

I examine the dress Cinna created for me and like always I become emotional. His work is so simple yet beautiful, I am honored to be one of the people he creates his masterpieces for. The dress was like a cocktail dress version of my wedding dress.

It is about knee length with lace and ruffles; beading all along the hem and the bodice. Pearls and gems scattered through the bead-work and along the neckline.

I fell in love with this dress as fast as I did with my original wedding dress.

"Cinna…" I pause holding back tears. "You are a genius with a sketch pad and fabric." I say hugging him tightly.

"You've always been my favorite tribute. You're my muse Katniss. Your strength gives me inspiration. So I make sure you get my best work. It's because of you that I have it after all."

"Thank you Cinna. You truly are amazing." I pause. "I'm so excited to see Prim and my kids. I miss them so much."

"They're going to be here soon, and then I get to get them all ready. I'm excited to put Rue in the new dress I made for her. I think she'll love it."

"She loves everything you make for her. I'm just grateful she isn't your tribute this year. I don't want to lose my little girl."

"I understand Katniss. I didn't want to design for her for the games either." He hugs me again. "Well I better get everything ready for when everyone else arrives. I'll see you in a few hours."

"Thank you Cinna." He walks out of the room closing the door behind him. I sit down on the bed thinking about how tonight might be the last time Prim sees Tess. It breaks my heart knowing that she is going to be going through the one thing I have dreaded my whole life.

I never wanted to have kids; I didn't want to bring them into a world where they're sacrificed for entertainment. I wanted to protect them from what I went through by not having them at all. But when I got pregnant with Rue my whole world changed. Feeling a life growing inside of me, knowing it was a symbol of my love with Peeta I fell in love, without even seeing her. The first time I held her I knew that I wanted more.

But when I heard her name being called my heart sunk, my chest tightened up and all I wanted to do was volunteer for her like I did for Prim. I knew I couldn't and that's why when I heard Tess volunteer I was both relieved and saddened. She saved my little girl and my sanity, but she was going to be putting my little sister through the hell I was anticipating. I wanted more than ever to yell those 2 simple words, to fix everything. But I couldn't, and it killed me.

Now in a few short days I will be sending my niece into the hell that almost ended my life, the hell where my daughters namesake died in my arms after I promised her that everything would be alright. If she dies, how will I ever face Prim again? How will I face myself?

I need to check on Tess. I need to see her smile before it changed to an expression of fear. Before she turns into the killer she needs to become to survive. Before she changes because she can't bare what she has done or what she has seen. Before all she wants to do is give up to escape the pain and nightmares…before she becomes me.

POV of Stephan

I stop in front of Finn's door knowing that today is the day he says goodbye to his family. When he assures them he is still going to defend Angel to the death. Thinking about him being carried out of the arena in a wooden box, makes chills go down my spine and my hair stand on ends.

Slowly I knock on his door. I hear footsteps approaching. As it opens I see Finn. He looks depressed. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"Not looking forward to seeing my family again. Don't get me wrong I miss them so much. But it will be the same as the day I volunteered. I already told them goodbye, why do I need to tell them again. It's going to hurt worse this time." He pauses trying to hold back tears. "Stephan how am I going to do this?"

"I'm not sure." I put my hand on his shoulder trying to be supportive. I really don't know what to tell him. It was hard being around my father last year. He knew my plan and I know he hated it, but he supported me as best he could. Although it never made it any easier to wake up in the morning and see his face. He was sad and tired and it was making him sick with worry. I hated myself for putting him through this, but I knew it was the right thing to do. Even though my plan failed I got to spend her last moments with her. "All I can tell you is to enjoy the time you do have with them. Make happy memories tonight, so they have something to smile about when they remember you."

"I guess you're right. I shouldn't worry about saying goodbye, I already did that. Now I should focus on having a good time with my family before it's too late." He hugs me. "Thank you Stephan, you're the best friend I could ever have. Just do something for me."

"Anything."

"Watch out for my family."

"I promise Finn."

POV of Peeta

I hear the roar of the crowd through the doors. Looking over at Katniss I see the excitement in her eyes. "You ready for this?"

"Of course I am. I'm so glad Snow suggested this. I don't know what I would have done if the party was after the games. Because someone would be upset no matter what and I would feel guilty celebrating after 23 innocent children just died. It wouldn't seem right."

"I agree." I pause hugging her, Before I let go I kiss her forehead gently. "Should we great our guests?"

"What kind of hosts would we be if we didn't?" She laughs. I chuckle a bit before grabbing her hand and approaching the double doors. I nod at the Avox girls who then opened the doors. As the door creak open the crowd grows silent. "Ready?"

"As long as you're by my side." I smile at her, she smiles back and we step through the doors onto the small balcony that oversees the ballroom. Applause and cheer ring through the room as we wave out to the hundreds of people who are partying bellow us. I know Katniss has never been good at speeches so I begin to address the crowd. "Hello everyone, Katniss and I would like to welcome you to our 20th wedding anniversary." As I speak I hear small footsteps running up the stairs to my right. All of a sudden a feel small arms wrapped around my legs. I look down to see my 3 lovely children at our feet. I pick up Taro as Katniss picks up Caramel. "Our children would also like to welcome you." I laugh. "We would like to welcome in our tributes." As I say this the doors behind up open and in order of their district the tributes file onto the stairs. Odd numbers to the left of us and the even numbers to the right of us. "It is an honor to have them and their families here with us to celebrate a wonderful 20 years of marriage. As most of your know Katniss and I won the 74th Hunger Games and shortly after that we got married. So it is a wonderful thing that the tributes are here to celebrate this momentous time with us." I pause looking at Katniss. She's smiling down at Rue. "Now go, enjoy yourselves." With that the tributes rush do the stairs to find their families.

I look out to see Tess find Prim and Vick. From here I can see the tears in their eyes from both happiness from seeing their daughter again and sadness from knowing it could be the last time the hug her. I look at Katniss to see she is watching it too.

"Mommy, is Tess going to win?" Taro asks.

"Of course she is, Taro. Tess saved me, she's brave and smart and strong. She'll win and everything will go back to normal." Rue says before Katniss has a chance to answer. Katniss reaches down and scoops Rue into her arms as well.

"Rue is right. Tess will win. She has what it takes to survive." She says. Taro and Rue hug her, and I can see a tear roll down her cheek. She wants to believe Tess will win, but she knows that even if she does she will not be the same girl she was before. The Tess we've known for so long is already as good as gone, because if she survives she'll never be able to go back to the life she had before. The memories will haunt her for the rest of her life.

"Who wants to go see Tess?"

"I do!" Rue and Taro shout at the same time.

"Me, me!" Caramel chimes in. Katniss and I both laugh a bit. "Well then what are we waiting for?"

POV of Tess

"Mom I've missed you so much." I say hugging her as tight as I can, feeling tears stream down my face. My shoulder begins to feel wet and I can tell mom is crying too. "Mom don't cry, I'll be fine." I say lifting my head up to look at her.

"I know you will be, but I know that you'll be different when I see you again. Remember I already had someone I love go into the games. I know what it does to people. Just promise me you won't let go of who you are in there."

"I promise mom."

"Good, because I don't want to have to punish you." She laughs wiping her tears. I begin to laugh too.

"Excuse me, I would like to see my little girl if that's okay with you." I hear my dad's voice say. I turn around to see him behind me.

"Daddy!" I say wrapping my arms around his neck as he picks me up. "I missed you so much."

"I miss you too baby girl. I love you so much."

"I love you too daddy. How is everyone back home?"

"Everyone is rooting for you. We've already started a collection to donate as sponsorship money." Mom says.

"Everyone in the mines are working extra shifts to have something to donate. Your Uncles and I started it." Dad says.

"Are they here?"

"I'm sorry sweetie they couldn't come. They're covering for me in the mines and the invite was only for immediate family."

"But Aunty Katniss made sure they were invited."

"Then I don't know. Maybe it's only because they were covering for me." He paused. "But I know they believe in you. The whole district does."

"Tess!" I hear Rue's voice call out to me. I turn around to see my 3 younger cousins running towards me. I smile as I lift Caramel up. "We've missed you."

"I've missed you guys too. You've been good for my mom right?"

"Of course they have been. They're always angels."

"Speaking on Angel, I made friends with the 2 tributes from district 4. They're really nice."

"That's great sweetheart."

"I want you to meet them. Finn has helped me a lot. He's one of Stephan's friends."

"How is Stephan doing anyway?" Dad asks.

"Better, but he's still struggling." I reply thinking about how different he is from the boy I grew up with. Mom is right the games change you, even if you do survive. I wonder who I will be when they're done. Will I even recognize myself?

POV of Finn

"Hey Tess, how are you today?" I ask.

"Good. You?" She replied. The conversation just started and it is already awkward. Great.

"Pretty good, so…um…about last night…"

"You mean when I kissed you?"

"Yeah, and what you said." I pause for a moment, not really knowing what to say. Her face started to go a shade of red and her eyes cast down to the floor. I reach my hand out and gently caress her cheek pulling her chin up to mean my gaze. Once our eyes met I could already see the answer to my question. "Did you mean it?"

"Yes." She answers me before casting her head down again. A slow song comes on and I look over to the guy playing all the music to see Angel waving at me. I couldn't help but chuckle a little. I take Tess' hand into mine.

"Would you like to dance?" She looks up at me with a smile on her face.

"Of course I would." I begin to lead her out onto the dance floor where other couples and swaying and twirling around.

When we reach a clear spot I pull her close to me, placing my hands on her waist and looking deep into her grey eyes. Her arms go around the back of my neck and her head rests on my shoulder. Having her this close to me makes me smile.

"Finn?"

"Yeah Tess?"

She pauses for a moment."Never mind. I don't want to ruin this moment." She says as she pushes herself closer to me. I tighten my grip and close my eyes. I want to live in this moment forever. I never want to let her go. I love her more than life itself.

When the song stops we stand there for a moment before I speak. "Tess do you want to go out onto the outer balcony?"

"That would be nice." She says with a huge smile on her face. I take her hand and lead her outside. No one is out there and as we make our way to the railing. "Finn what are we going to do? We both can't win and you're already planning on sacrificing yourself for Angel. How will this ever work?"

"I don't know. But there is one thing I do know. Meeting you was the best thing to ever happen to me and if Angel wasn't reaped this would have never happened. I want to protect you in the arena and I will die for you as well."

"You will?"

"Of course I will. Tess I'm in love with you. And if I die I want your face to be the last thing I see. I know now that if I have to kill you to protect Angel it will be the hardest decision of my life and it will take everything I have. And even now I'm not sure if I could do it." I pause for a moment. "Tess I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side, no matter how short that time may be."

I see tears fill her eyes as I pull her in for a hug. "I love you Finn. Why did it have to be this way? Why did we have to meet in a situation like this? Where we could never be together because it's obvious we were meant to be." She begins to sob.

I run my fingers through her hair. "I don't know, I really don't know." I say gently before leaning down to kiss her. As our lips meet and our eyes overflow with tears I realize that life and love are 2 very cruel things, but knowing this was the only way we would have met I wouldn't want it any other way.

**I hope you like this chapter. I chose these characters for this chapter because of how complicated Finn and Tess' relationship, and well you can't have a Mellark anniversary party without the POVs of the Mellarks can you? Lol. Please review. **

**Can I tell you guys that I LOVE writing this fanfic and I LOVE how loyal some of you are. Your loyalty is what makes writing this whole thing worthwhile. **

**Alliances.**

**Careers: Diamond, Titanium, Onyx, Slate (for now), & Electra**

**Finn, Angel & Tess**

**Eric, Riley, & Slate (in arena)**

**Onyx & Slate (true alliance)**

**Rose & Elm**

**Scarlet & Crisis**

**Alone: Carter, Faith, Calla, Hazel, Joseph, Gigot, Ricky, Garnet, Iris & Falon**


	34. Chapter 32 Training Scores

**In this chapter all of the POVs are in roughly the same moment unlike before where it was in order of time. I am going in order of district because they find out their scores seconds earlier than the later districts but it is all within the same 15-20 minute time frame. I hope you like it. Please comment with your favorite team or person at the end of the chapters to "donate" 3 points to them. You can only name 1 person or 1 team per chapter. I thought this would be a nice way to involve all of you. **

Training Score

POV of Crystal

"Shut up! The scores are being announced." I said as Claudius appears on the television.

"Hello everyone." He says. "I bet you're all waiting to see how your favorite tributes scored. Well here they are."

A picture of Diamond pops up with her name and above it is a 9.

"Good job Diamond." Titanium says patting her on the back. She smiles.

Titanium's picture comes up next. Above his picture is a 10.

"Good job Titan. That's great." Diamond says.

Alright this is pretty good, but we're the first district, the others could have better scores. Now is no time for congratulations. I'll pat them on the backs when we find out where they stand with everyone else.

POV of Slate

District 1 did pretty good. Onyx's picture appears with her name and a 10 over it. Damn she did just as good as Titanium, and he's tough.

"Nice Onyx. You did as good as Titanium. Or maybe a little better, you never know. They don't do decimals." I say.

"I did better. No offence to Titan but he's kind of a one trick pony. Me on the other hand I'm just awesome." She laughs. "Look Slate it's you!"

I look up to see that I have a 10 too. Sweet. Diamond has got to be pissed. So far she's got the lowest of the group. If Electra does better too she is going to be rip-shit.

We continue to watch as Riley's picture shows up. I look to see she got a 9 just like Diamond. Alright at least she's useful. But that also makes her a lot more dangerous. She doesn't need me as much as someone else might. I hope Eric does well, but at the same time I want to make sure I'm the asset. If I'm not I am as good as dead.

Her district partner's picture shows up and doesn't do as well as she does. He only gets a 6. Not horrible but most tributes get 4-6 so it's kind of average. So on the bright side he's no competition.

POV of Stephan

The careers have a good group this year, but they always do. But that girl from 3, Riley, she is a wild card. And from the looks of it, most of them are. This year's games might take a while.

Angel's picture comes across the screen with an 8 written over the top of it. Cheers fill the room as we celebrate the fact that she is one of the youngest competitors and she's only one point behind the girl from district one.

"Great job Angel. That is amazing." I say.

"I didn't even do that good." Ambrosia said.

"I'm so proud of you, and I know everyone back home is too." Finn said.

Finn's picture comes up next and he also got an 8.

"Good job Finn. That is great, we did the same." Angel said. I could tell he wished he had done better, but an 8 is still good.

"Finn, an 8 is really good. That's what I got last year and look at me now. I'm your mentor." I half laugh.

"I guess so. I hope Tess does good too. We need the sponsors." He says. I hope so too. I want one of the 3 to win. I don't want to lose them all. I don't think I could handle it.

POV of Skylar

So far everyone else in the career pack has scored high. As the boy from 4's picture fades away we all wait in anticipation. I look around to see Electra on the edge of her seat waiting to see what she got.

Her picture comes up with a 9 over it. I could tell she was pissed that she didn't score higher than the others and it was even worse that she did the same as Diamond. They don't get along at all so being on the same level as her really irritates her.

"That is bullshit! I am so much better than her! How could they compare me to that crazy bitch?" She screams.

"Electra calm down. A 9 is still really good." I say trying to calm her down.

"I would be fine with a 9 if she didn't get a 9, but she did. There must have been some sort of mistake." She is fuming. She is yelling so much I barely notice that Carter got a 7.

POV of Rose

I hold my breath as the boy from 6's picture fades into black. I know I took a huge risk in my private session and I hope it pays off. As my picture pops onto the screen, I clench my eyes shut.

"Rose, Rose. Look! You got an 11!" What? I look up at the screen to see an 11 over my picture. Wow, he's right. I got an 11. This is crazy. How did I do better than the careers? It must have been my blindfolded axe throw.

"How did you pull that off?" Johanna asks.

"She threw axes blindfolded and got as close to perfect as you can get with 5 axes and one target." Elm says.

"You did what? And you didn't tell me." She yells.

"I thought you'd be mad." I said shyly.

"Mad? Mad? Are you kidding me? I'm not mad I'm thrilled. This is amazing. No one from district 7 has ever tried something like that in the private sessions. It was considered a bigger risk than could be gained. How did you pull it off?"

"I planned on volunteering so I practiced my ass off. I made sure I had a trick up my sleeve, and when I saw my competition I knew I was going to need to use it." I look up at the screen again to see Elm has a 7. "That's still good Elm. Besides with the highest score so far we're bound to get sponsors. I beat out the careers after all."

"I have the best tribute in the game on my side. District 7 is going to have another victor for sure." He says. I know by the look on his face that he's starting to question his chances. I will make sure he has a fighting chance. If anyone kills him it will be me, so I know he didn't suffer.

POV of Crisis

"Great job baby, you matched with some of the careers." I say as we stare at her picture with a 9 above it. I pull her close to me as everyone cheers for her.

"Look, look, look your picture is coming on." Scarlet says as she clings to me.

For me it feels like hours as my picture fades into focus. I see the number 8 above my picture and I feel both excited and disappointed.

I feel like my taking a breather ruined my score a bit because it showed weakness at a time I shouldn't have shown any. But I am proud that I did so well. Coming from an underdog district and getting an 8 is pretty good.

"You still did good babe." Scarlet says to me clinging tight to me.

"I know I did well, I just wish I did better." I say sinking into the couch. Silence creeps across the room like a thick blanket of fog. You can't even hear breathing. Everything is still. Everyone knows that in this batch of tributes, I'm at the bottom of the batch so far. That means I'm not favored to win and therefore just cost Scarlet and I a load of sponsors. Because of me she might die.

POV of Eric

"Great job Calla. You got an 8." I pause. "A lot of tributes are getting high scores this year."

"That means there will probably be less deaths at the Cornucopia. Tougher competition. So watch out for Gamemaker twists. As you know when things get slow they toy with the tributes to try to make things more interesting.

My picture appears on the screen with a 7 over it. Not too bad but I'm still at the bottom of the pack. I need to make sure I do good the first day so I get some attention from the sponsors and I have to nail my interview to have a chance.

"Not bad kid. It's much better than you would have done with the attitude you had after being reaped. Now you're a real competitor." Calla says patting me on the shoulder. With that she leaves the room and I'm sitting there wondering what I could have done better.

"I know that look. You're contemplating what you did wrong. And you know what. The answer is nothing. You did your best and that's all anyone can ask of you." Resin says before heading towards the door. "Now if you want my advice watch this as many times as you can. Record their numbers, remember what they were good at or bad at in training. Also think about the stations they spent little time at. They could either be what they're really good at and they didn't want to show it off to the competition or it's their weakness. So be on alert with those things in the arena until you figure out which one it is." He pauses. "And Eric."

"Yeah?"

"Just try to survive. Remember you don't need to kill someone to win. Annie Cresta from district 4 won by hiding and knowing how to swim when the Gamemakers flooded the arena. So think strategy as well as strength."

Alright, that will be my strategy to play smart. I might not be strong, but I know how to observe people. So that's what I'll do. I'll win the games my way or die trying.

POV of Katniss

Peeta and I are cuddled up on the couch as we all await the training scores. Haymitch sits to the left of us with his arm around a trembling Tess. Effie sits on the other side of her. Cinna and Portia are here too. Cinna is next to me holding my hand. Portia is over by Ricky. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife.

The room is so quiet we can hear the sounds of the Capitol outside. As the boy from 11's face fades a way I can tell everyone began to hold their breath. This reminds me of waiting here for my score. How scared I was and how complicated I felt about scoring high. It helps to get sponsors, but it put a HUGE target on my back in the games.

Tess' picture appears and everyone gasps. She scored a perfect score. Everyone jumps from the couch cheering and bouncing around.

"Oh my god Tess this is amazing!" I squeal. I look over to see Haymitch sitting on the couch smiling. He is playing it cool but we all know he's just as excited as we are. He's just a self proclaimed bad ass.

We calm down just in time to see Ricky's score before it fades away. He got a 7. Not bad.

"Good job Ricky. That's pretty good too." Tess says.

"Not as good as you." He replies.

"Well she has been trained since she was able to walk so don't feel too bad. She's probably been trained harder than the careers because we were paranoid this day would come. And now I'm glad we've pushed her some much. It's turned out to be worth it." I say knowing that this is only the beginning of the nightmare they are going to endure.

**Now feel free to donate points to your favorite tribute or team. Here are all the training scores.**

**Diamond – 9**

**Titanium – 10**

**Onyx – 10**

**Slate – 10**

**Riley – 9**

**Gigot – 6**

**Angel – 8**

**Finn – 8**

**Electra – 9**

**Carter – 7**

**Faith – 5**

**Falon – 6**

**Rose – 11**

**Elm – 7**

**Scarlet – 9**

**Crisis – 8**

**Calla – 8**

**Eric – 7**

**Hazel – 5**

**Garnet – 6**

**Iris – 12**

**Joseph – 6 **

**Tess – 12**

**Ricky – 7 **

**Alliances:**

**Careers: Diamond, Titanium, Onyx, Slate (for now), & Electra**

**Finn, Angel & Tess**

**Eric, Riley, & Slate (in arena)**

**Onyx & Slate (true alliance)**

**Rose & Elm**

**Scarlet & Crisis**

**Alone: Carter, Faith, Calla, Hazel, Joseph, Gigot, Ricky, Garnet, Iris & Falon**


	35. Chapter 33 Before the Interview

Before The Interview

POV of Finn

"I am so proud of you!" I say to Tess as I lift her up and spin her around. Her face is beaming as she stared down at me. "How did you pull off a perfect score? I mean I knew you were amazing already, but I didn't think everyone else saw it. All I know is I'm glad they see it too."

She leans down and kisses me. "I love you Finn, so much." Her smile slowly fades to a frown and sadness fills her eyes. I lower her back down to the ground and pull her close into my chest.

"I love you too Tess. And nothing will change that, not even the games. I will always love you, with every part of me." My chest starts to feel warm as I realize she's begun to cry. "I know Tess, I know."

"Finn, if there was a chance for us to come out alive. You know the 2 of us, would you want to…well…you know…"

"I would love to." I don't even wait for her to finish. I know what she's going to say. She wants to know if we could be a couple, officially. We've decided not to label what we have now to save the other from pain when the inevitable happens. I know it won't do much, but at least it gives us a shot at distancing ourselves. I know it's pointless for me. She's the love of my life and I have to kill her or watch her get killed in order for Angel to survive. UGH! I hate this!

Why did I have to fall in love with a girl I can never be with? Because she's wonderful that's why.

"What are you thinking about?"

"How nice it would be to be together. But I better get going. Angel is all alone up there and I bet she's nervous." Sadness returns to her eyes. "I'll see you later tonight. I promise. Good luck, I know you'll do great."

I kiss her lips sweetly, lingering for a moment, not wanting to let go. When I finally pull away I see how badly she wants me to stay. I want to stay too, but my sister needs me. And I need to get to my proper spot anyway.

"See you after the interviews?" She says almost pleading with me.

"Of course." I reply with a smile. This brightens her mood a bit. This makes me smile even more. I lean down and kiss her forehead before I turn and walk towards the front of the line.

I see Angel anxiously looking back for me. When she notices me a smile shoots across her face and I can't help be smile myself when I see it.

"Is Tess okay?" She asks. That's just like her, always worrying about someone else.

"She's fine. I'm worried about you though. It's got to be tough being one of the youngest tributes, and then add all the stuff that's been going on. I would be a mess if I was you." That's when I see it, the terror in her eyes. I knew should would never admit it, but I could see how scared she was. I reach my arms out to her and reluctantly she falls into my chest. "You'll be fine Angel. I will do everything I can to make sure you can come out of it alive. I will not let anyone hurt you." I pause for a moment, thinking about what that means. A sharp pain shoots through my chest. I know it means Tess dies and that's the one thing I wish I could change, but I can't and I know this is the right thing to do. "I promise."

POV of Tess

I wait in line anxiously looking towards the front of the line. I see Angel and Finn, and Angel looks upset. I really want to check on her , but I know the interviews are going to be starting soon.

"Worried about the little girl?" Ricky asks from behind me.

"Yeah. Her and the girl from district 8 are both 13, Angel is a little bit younger than the other girl. The only person that's younger than her is the boy from 9. She's terrified. I want to make sure she's okay before she either breaks or closes off in the arena."

"Go."

"What?"

"Go. I'll cover for you. If your Aunt asks where you went I'll say the bathroom or something."

"Thank you Ricky." I say hugging you. "I owe you so much."

"Just make your boyfriend give me one chance in the arena. If he runs into me, just let me go. Only once." He pleads with me.

"I'll talk to him. But I don't think he likes you very much. And he's not my boyfriend….we're not going to make anything official because of the games." I start to feel depressed again. I feel like I'm going to cry. He places a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry I was too selfish to treat you right, and I hurt you. But it's nice to see you smile again you know." He leans down and kisses my cheek. "He wants to save you, you know. Even though he's going to choose his sister, he has thought about choosing you. That means a lot. He's a good guy."

"Yeah he is. Part of me doesn't want to win because that means him and Angel die. And I don't want to live with that."

"I understand what you're going through. I feel the same way about you. But you can't give up. Would you want me to give up so you could live?"

"No. I'd want you to try your best."

"Then that's what you need to do. Finn wouldn't want you to die for his sake, just like I know you wouldn't want him to do that for you. So don't do it." I know he's right. I nod. "Now go. Before your Aunt shows up and it's too late."

"Okay, thanks." I say hugging him before running down the line to see Angel and Finn.

POV of Slate

Luckily my family cared for me enough to bring Jade with them last night. It was nice to be able to hold her close again, to feel her heart beating in her chest against mine, to taste her lips. It all reminded me of what I'm risking being here. My future could be wiped away in a matter of seconds, my siblings would be alone with our psychotic parents. I came in here to create a better life for them, but now I see I might have made it worse. The stakes are higher now than ever. If I don't win I ruin the lives of everyone I love. What did I get myself into?

"Slate are you okay?" Onyx asks.

"I don't know."

"What's wrong?"

"I just realized that I was wrong."

"About what?"

"I thought volunteering would save my siblings, make my life with Jade better. But now I know I ruined everything the day I spoke up. I might have condemned them all to a life of mourning and strife. All because I thought I was helping."

"Slate if you go out onto the stage a mess you're going to ruin your chances. Then you will die out there, and everything you're worrying about will come true. But if you stay strong you might win."

"I know, but after seeing them last night it's made it hard to think that way." I pause. "I want to go home to my fiancé, to my siblings. I want to live and I might not get that chance now."

"Well you can't change that now. All you can do from this point is focus and try to win." She pauses. "I know how important they are to you and Slate I promise you that if I win I will take care of them. I will go to the peacekeepers about your parents. I will take them in. I will invite Jade into my home and tell her about how much you loved her. I will take care of them if you die as long as you try to live. Do you think you can do that?"

"It's a deal." We both smile and hug each other. "Onyx, you're my best friend. You know that right."

"You're mine too Slate. But…never mind."

I wonder what she was going to say. I was about to ask when I hear Ceasar announce the interviews are about to begin. I guess I'll have to ask her some other time.

POV of Rose

The waiting is the worse part. It makes me nervous. "How you feeling Elm?"

"Excited, I get to be my charming self on camera." He laughs. I can't help but laugh too. He does have a charm about him that hopefully will catch the attention of some rich Capitol women, or someone with a rich husband. "Are you nervous?"

"Kind of. I hate the wait. I feel bad for the people from 12. They must be going crazy." As I say this I notice the girl from 12 is up with the siblings from 4. She got a perfect score in training. That is intense. She's going to be my toughest competition. I'll have to watch out for her and try to break her.

I look at the little girl from 4 and realize what I need to do, and that I am going to hate myself for it.

"What are you thinking about?"

"What I have to do when we get in the arena."

"I know it sucks. But we have to kill people."

"Yeah I know, but I think I already have my first target picked out."

"Who is it?"

"The girl from 4."

"I thought you didn't want to go after her, the girl from 8 or the boy from 9. You said they reminded you of your siblings too much."

"I know, but after getting some new information about her ally from 12 I realize that she's our ticket to breaking little miss perfect score."

"You think it will work?"

"Yeah."

"What about her brother?"

"We'll figure that out before we put our plan into action. But mark my words. 12 won't be a threat to anyone for long. Niece of a victor or not."

POV of Crisis

"Scarlet you have the 2nd highest score here. Only one other person has that score. They're going to love you. There is nothing you need to worry about, I promise."

"What if I don't know what to say?"

"They told us he'd help us out. Just answer honestly."

"Okay."

"And stick to your strategy. Remember, with the score you got it sets it up perfect. But most importantly be yourself. They'll love you, trust me I know." I say smiling.

"Okay."

"Is that all you can say?"

"I'm still really nervous."

"Baby, I will be right off stage and I am going on right after you. We'll be together again before you know it."

"What if I can't do it without you?"

"You can, you were alone when you got that 11. That's how I know you can do this alone too. I'm worried about myself. I'm not as likable as you are." She hits me

"Yes you are. You're amazing."

"You have so much confidence in me, but none in yourself. What changed in training?"

"I knew I needed to do good to help protect you."

"Well then think of that now. If you're worried about getting sponsors to help me then be yourself and it will help me too.'

"Really?"

"Yeah, because if they love you and donate to you then I'll get some of it too."

"If you put it that way I think I can do it."

"I know you can." I pause to kiss her. "I love you Scarlet."

"I love you too Crisis."

**Alliances:**

**Careers: Diamond, Titanium, Onyx, Slate (for now), & Electra**

**Finn, Angel & Tess**

**Eric, Riley, & Slate (in arena)**

**Onyx & Slate (true alliance)**

**Rose & Elm**

**Scarlet & Crisis**

**Alone: Carter, Faith, Calla, Hazel, Joseph, Gigot, Ricky, Garnet, Iris & Falon**


	36. Chapter 34 Interviews Part 1

Interview Part One

POV of Crystal

"Ladies and gentlemen, let us welcome our first tribute. Diamond Glitz, our female tribute from district one." Caesar says. The crowd claps and cheers as Diamond walks on stage in her sweet blue dress. She looks kind of innocent, but fierce at the same time. The look suits her well and the Capitol is eating it up.

Caesar stands as he greats Diamond with a smile and an outstretched hand. Diamond smiles and lays her hand on his before they both face the crowd. The cheers continue until they sit down.

"Diamond, may I say you're looking lovely today."

"Thank you Caesar, you're too kind." She says. Suddenly her domineer changes.

"Diamond is something wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm just thinking about my older brother and sister."

Are they waiting for you back home?"

"No, they both died in games."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." The crowd grows completely silent as they hang on every word.

"I volunteered to avenge them and while I'm at it I am going to avenge my Aunt Glimmer by killing the niece of the women that killed her." Gasps fill the air as the camera pans over the tributes until they reach Katniss, who looks like she's just been hit by a car. Awkwardly she smiles and waves to the camera before the focus returns to Diamond. "My Aunt looked like a fool while trying to kill Katniss and then was killed by mutts because of that bitch!" Diamond loses composure, but quickly regains it. "I'm sorry for my outburst. It's just hard to think about."

"I understand." Caesar says placing his hand on hers. "So you say your main target is Tess Hawthorne from district 12. How does her perfect score affect your strategy in the arena?"

"Perfect score or not I will kill her, and then her family will understand the pain mine has gone through." Once again gasps fill the room. They show a backstage shot of Tess who is standing there in shock. I find it priceless.

"Moving on. Diamond are you a part of the traditional career alliance?"

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" She laughs.

"I'm not sure. But that's all the time we have. Thank you Diamond."

"It was my pleasure." She answers standing, blowing the crowd a kiss and walking off the stage.

"Well wasn't that exciting? And it was only our first interview. How help me welcome Diamond district partner Titanium Lipson."

Titanium makes his way across the stage as all the women in the crowd cheers. As he makes his way to the couch and takes a seat the crowd slowly dies down.

"Hello, Titanium."

"Hey, Caesar."

"So how are you liking the Capitol?"

"It's wonderful, everything I've ever believed it to be." He winks to the crowd and you can almost see all of the girls faint. He is working the crowd and they are loving it.

"Now what are your plans in the arena?"

"To slaughter everyone, and become a victor."

"Wow." Caesar laughs. "That's intense."

"That's just who I am."

The next few minutes go by rather quickly. The crowd is eating his responses up and he knows it. "Thank you Titanium."

"Please Caesar, call me Titan." He smiles.

"Well Titan that was fun. We'll see you in the arena and I'm sure you'll give us a show."

"You bet I will."

POV of Slate

Watching Onyx talk about how Clove was her idol and how she's practiced throwing knives ever since. It sends chills down my spine listening to her.

It reminds me that she might be my friend and ally but she's also a huge threat. Even though it kills me to think this way I know I have to get rid of her fast. Wait? What am I saying? She promised to help Jade and my siblings if I die. So I can't kill her. She's their lifeline too.

Onyx stands up and sows the crowd her dress. Her hair shimmered in the light and the spotlight caught her eyes in such a magnificent way. The dress she was wearing makes her look seductive and sexy. She spins around and I notice I caught her eye for a moment. A small smile appears on her face and fades when she turns the other way. I can't help but smile too. She's so beautiful right now. Don't get me wrong she always has been but tonight I can see it more.

"So Onyx is there anyone special in your life? Maybe waiting for you back home."

"There is someone but they're here with me and they're not special the way you're implying."

"Please. Do tell."

"My district partner Slate is very special to me. Over the last few weeks we've become great friends. In fact I've become close with all of the other careers, but Slate more so than the others. I think that might have something to do with the week we spent together before we I met the others. To be honest Slate has given me something to fight for, to help him if he doesn't make it out. He's my best friend, and to be honest my first real friend."

The whole room grows silent and I know if someone focused the camera on me they would see a dumbfound look stuck there. Am I really her first real friend? Is that what she was trying to tell me?

"Well, he must be a nice guy to become a friend under such circumstances."

"He is. He's the most caring guy I know and if anyone deserves to win it's him." She pauses. "That's not to say I'm not going to give him a run for his money." She laughs and soon the whole building is in an uproar of laughter.

"Well that's all the time we have with you Onyx, but it was nice talking with you."

"It was nice to talking to you Caesar." Everyone cheers as she walks off the stage.

"Now let's welcome Slate Roberts onto the stage everyone." I walk onto the stage and I hear women screaming. I wave to the crowd and shoot them a smile. All of a sudden I have control over the room and I know it. But the words Onyx said are still playing through my head. "Hello Slate, your district partner had some pretty nice things to say about you."

"Hi, yes I heard. She's a sweet girl and I care about her very much."

"Really now?"

"Not like that, she's a close friend and she's promised me to help take care of the people I care for if I die."

"Isn't that lovely. So it seems you 2 have kindled an unexpected friendship."

"You can say that, but by the looks of the competition this year there is a lot of opportunities for the unexpected."

"You do have a point there. So Slate why did you volunteer?"

"I have family I need to protect. I lost one sibling to the games already and I want the choice of volunteering to be an actual choice for my younger siblings. I don't want them pushed into it."

"Isn't that noble of you? So we're all dying to know, who was that girl from the reaping? She looked very upset you volunteered."

"She is my fiancé. She didn't want me to volunteer, but she knew why I had to. She only caused a scene because she was overcome with sadness at me following through with my plan. She's worried about me."

"So being your fiancé did she attend the Mellark's anniversary party?"

"Yes she did. We had a lovely night, although there was some tension. I guess she's still a little upset about the choices I've made." I try to laugh it off but even a deaf person could hear it was insincere. "But I assured her I would be home soon."

"You seem confident."

"I am."

"So can we know the young lady's name?"

"Jade." I pause. She's the love of my life." I catch a glimpse of Onyx offstage to see her face stained with pain. Not physical pain either, she looks like I just broke her heart. Is that what she was trying to tell me? That she has feelings for me. But she knows about Jade. Then again you can't help who you fall for. Wait is she falling for me? Why do I care she's only a friend and besides only one of us can survive. Thinking about her death pains me greatly. My chest feels tight and it's hard to breathe. What's going on with me?

"Slate are you okay?" Suddenly I hear Caesar's voice, the concern on his face makes me think he's been talking to me for a while. I look back up to see Onyx at the corner of the stage looking terrified.

"Yeah I'm fine." I finally manage to cough out.

"Okay folks it's time to say goodbye to Slate, and not a moment too soon." Caesar says as I slowly walk off the stage.

"Slate are you okay?" Onyx asks with panic in her voice.

"Onyx tell me what did you want to talk to me about before?"

"It's nothing."

I grab a hold of her arms. "Onyx I know you're lying to me. I saw your face when I talked about Jade. I think I know what it is, but I need you to tell me."

"Why! It wouldn't make a difference." She yells. I let go of one of her arms and run towards the elevator. This isn't the time or place to make a scene. Last thing I need is for Jade to see this. She already thinks I care for Onyx. If she saw this she would assume she was right. But is she? We enter the elevator and the doors close behind us.

"Onyx it does matter to me. You're my friend…"

"Exactly! I'm your friend, but that's all I am to you. And at the end of this all I'll be is an obstacle to get back…" Before she can finish I lean down and kiss her. I know it's wrong, but right now, in this moment it feels like the right thing to do. As I feel her body relax into my arms I can't help but enjoy it. My hand finds its way to the back of her neck as my other hand rests on the small of her back. I pull her closer to me as the kiss become more passionate. Suddenly she pulls away. "What was that for?"

"It felt like the right thing to do. Onyx do you want to know what happened to me on stage?"

"Of course I do." She snaps.

"I saw you in pain, I saw that my words hurt you and it caused my mind to race. Next thing I knew I was having intense chest pains. It hurt me to see I hurt you, and I don't know why. It wasn't like anything I've felt since…"

"Since when?"

"Since I saw Jade in pain at the reaping okay!" I snap as I realize what this means. I'm in love with 2 girls and one of them is in the games with me. Fucking perfect. I look at Onyx to see her in total disbelief. "Onyx I don't think when the time comes I can kill you."

"Why?"

"You know why. Don't make me say it."

"Because you love me?" My silence gives her the answer she needs. Before I know it she's kissing me and my heart is racing. I know I should push her away but I don't want to. I want to keep kissing her, to hold her close. She pulls away for a split second. "I love you too Slate." She says with tears streaming down her face. I pull her close. Knowing this might be the only time I can comfort her like this before guilt takes over, but for now I can show her I feel the same way about her. "Why won't you say it?"

"I just can't right now Onyx. But I will. I promise." With that said she rests her head on my chest and I reach to press the 2 button. The least I can do now is keep my promise.

POV of Finn

"So Angel, how did you feel when your brother volunteered?" Caesar asks Angel.

"I was scared, and confused. I didn't really get why he was going to make it so we both might die. But I know he wants to protect me and that's why he did it." She replies. The buzzer rings.

"I guess that means our time is up." Caesar pauses for applause and to give Angel time to walk off the stage. "Now let's welcome her loving brother, Finn Black." The audience cheers as I walk onto the stage. "Welcome Finn. How are you liking the Capitol?"

"The food is amazing and the view from the roof is spectacular." I says trying to kiss some ass. The crowd cheers some more as I smile out towards them.

"I'm glad to hear you're enjoying yourself. Now what went through your head when you heard your little sister's name being called?"

"Terror. I was praying someone would volunteer and when no one did my heart sank."

"Is that when you decided to volunteer?"

"Yes. I knew I had to in order to protect her. She's one of the youngest tributes this year. She's strong and I love her to death, but without someone by her side I'm not sure if she'd survive. I need to make sure that she does."

"What devotion, what sacrifice, what bravery. Ladies and gentlemen I think we have ourselves a hero in our midst." The audience roars with excitement and Caesar claps for me. I don't really know what to say or do so I just sit there.

"What is your strategy in the games?"

"To protect Angel and…well…my friend at all costs."

"Who's your friend?"

"I guess you'll have to watch the games to find out." I say with a laugh.

"I suppose we do. So what are you going to do if Angel dies?"

"I will avenge her death. No one will escape my wrath and I will win to honor her." The crowd loves this and starts screaming so loud I can barely hear myself think. This is really working well for me.

"Sorry everyone , but that's all the time we have for Finn here." I shake his hand and quickly walk off stage to see Angel.

POV of Skylar

"Miss Electra, rumor has it that you've join the careers this year."

"Rumor is right Caesar." Electra says. I see her wink and I can't help but smile. She's pulling off the flirtatious thing off really well, and I was worried she was too edgy to do it. Boy was I wrong. So far so good. She's talked about being from district 2 originally and how she grew up training for the day she volunteered. The crowd loved that. "And might I say the green hair and suit really, well, suits you." She laughs. The crowd cheers her on and Caesar's face becomes flush.

"What are your plans for the arena?"

"Stick with the careers until all the weak tributes are gone. Then fight it out with them. At least then someone that deserves it will win."

"Sounds like a pretty solid plan."

"Of course it is. It's the typical career plan and it almost always works." She laughs touching his hand slightly.

"Well aren't you charming?"

"Thank you, you're too kind." She giggles, touching his hand again. "With all the warm hospitality it's a wonder the victors don't live here."

Caesar looks like he's getting a little uncomfortable. Damn it Electra you're going too far, ease up a bit. The buzzer goes off. "Well, look at that, our time is up. It was nice getting to know you Electra. Everybody give it up for Electra Cellis from district 5." Everyone begins to clap as she exits the stand. Thank god, saved by the bell.

**Alliances.**

**Careers: Diamond, Titanium, Onyx, Slate (for now), & Electra**

**Finn, Angel & Tess**

**Eric, Riley, & Slate (in arena)**

**Onyx & Slate (true alliance)**

**Rose & Elm**

**Scarlet & Crisis**

**Alone: Carter, Faith, Calla, Hazel, Joseph, Gigot, Ricky, Garnet, Iris & Falon**


	37. Chapter 35 Interviews Part 2

**So I hope you all liked my little twist in the last chapter. It's going to get a lot more complicated for Slate from now on. I figured it was a little boring having him be the "perfect boyfriend and brother" so I decided to give him a dirty little secret. I know there is a lot of romance in this one but trust me it leads up to a bigger twist. Besides who doesn't like some tragic romance? I know I love it. **

**Sorry it's taken a little while. I'm working at a summer camp so I can only write for a little while at night and these take a lot more work than it seems. So I apologize for any inconveniences and I want to let you all know that next week I'm going on vacation. I will have wifi unless that gets messed up so I will still be able to update. **

Interview Part Two

POV of Rose

"Rose why did you volunteer?" Caesar asks me.

"My sister is very sick, and she needs medical attention soon. The victors get money and special attention from the Capitol. So I need to win to save her. I know it's risky, but it's the only chance I have."

"That is such a moving story. You saw your family at the anniversary party right, was she doing any better?" It was weird talking about Lily like this, but I know this is getting me some points with the audience.

"She seemed to be doing a little better, I'm sure the food helped. You see we are struggling back home. My sister Lily is dying of starvation and I know having food helped a little. I'm just not sure how much."

"That is so sad, but I am glad to hear she looked better. I'm sure we all are." The crowd cheers. I smile out to them. "I guess you could say this gives you an edge on the competition."

"It sure does." I smile. "I know I can stand being hungry, cold and sick. I doubt any of the careers can say as much. They think they're so tough but none of them got above a 10 when some of the underdog districts have. So why should we be afraid of them? It's time the people that can actually survive win the games." I know that districts 1 and 2 are fuming right now and so is that girl from 5. But the crowd, the crowd is loving it.

"Alright everybody, calm down." Caesar turns to me. "it looks like you just turned into the new crowd favorite."

"I've heard I'm a natural born leader." I laugh.

"I can see that." He pauses. "What is your strategy for the arena?"

"I am going to stick with my alliance and take out the biggest threats first."

"Do you mean miss Hawthorne, miss Alder and miss Vigut?"

"Well they did do the best in training so I would say they are threats, but they aren't the only ones."

"So you already have a target list."

"Doesn't everyone? I mean we have to kill each other after all, might as well figure out who's the easiest for us to kill and take care of them first."

"I suppose you're right." He says as the buzzer sounds. "Thank you Rose Styles."

"No thank you, you're such a charming host." I laugh a bit, which causes him to laugh as well. He stands up and reaches a hand out to me to help me up. I take his hand and slowly stand before turning to the crowd and waving to them one last time. Caesar kisses my hand before relaxing his fingers and letting my hand slip away as I walk towards the exit. I know I just put a huge target on my back, but I also reminded everyone that there are bigger threats than me. So I think I just nailed it.

POV of Crisis

"Scarlet you are the only tribute that got an 11 during your private session. Do you mind if I ask what you did?"

"I'm not supposed to talk about it, you understand don't you." She paused for a moment. "But you will find out soon enough. After all the games start shortly."

"That they do. Are you excited?"

"As excited as I can be."

"Did you know that you're being targeted by some of the other tributes?"

"I expected it after I saw my training score. It flatters me to know I'm viewed as a threat." She giggled. The crowd started to laugh with her. "Do you have any more gossip about the other tributes? I love getting a leg up on the competition."

"I can't tell you too much, but I can tell you that high number has created a large target on your back. And that you have a lot of stiff competition."

"Tell me something I don't know." She says placing her hand on his for a brief moment. I know it's just a ploy but it still stirs me up a bit.

"You seem to know a lot so that might be a tough one." Caesar begins to laugh and the crowd starts up shortly after. The buzzer sounds. "Saved by the bell." He laughs again.

Scarlet walks off as Caesar announces me. "Welcome Crisis, pleasure to have you here."

"The pleasure is all mine." I reply although I'm thinking the opposite. I hate it here and I want to go home but I can't. I think about everything I miss back home and the talk with Tabi I had at the party.

_~Flashback begins~_

"_Crisis! I've missed you so much!" Tabi screams as she runs towards me, leaping into my arms. _

"_I've missed you too Tabi. How's life back home?"_

"_Hectic as always. But it's not the same without you there."Her face turns red and she looks away. "So how is your girlfriend?"_

"_She's great. So I need to talk to you about something."_

"_What?"_

"_I'm not coming home. I'm going to save Scarlet. I don't have much to go back to, to live for, but she has a family she needs to be okay."_

"_Oh." She pauses for a while."I didn't know our friendship was nothing."_

"_Tabi that's not what I meant. I was just saying you're the only one I have, she has family. That's more important."_

"_Well what about me? I only have you too. Remember because I didn't want to leave you behind I became unadoptable, so I'll never have a family. I did that so you wouldn't be alone, but some girl comes along and none of that matter anymore. Now you're willing to leave me alone. I see how important I am to you!" She screams before trying to walk away. I grab her arms._

"_Tabi wait. Please. I didn't think you'd be this upset."_

"_Why wouldn't I be upset? You're expecting me to be okay with watching you die to save a girl that might not really love you. Have you ever thought it could be a ploy to get to the end and have someone that won't fight back when she wants to win?"_

"_You don't know her like I do."_

"_Crisis you've only known her for 2 weeks. How is that long enough to know her motives aren't pure? She could be playing you Crisis."_

"_Why can't you trust my judgment?"_

"_Because trusting that means excepting you're going to die and leave me alone." She says as tears stream down her face. "Because I'll miss you."_

_~Flashback ends~_

"Crisis are you okay?" I hear Caesar ask. I snap back into the present and look at him confused for a moment.

"Yeah I'm fine, just thinking about my best friend. She's the closest thing I have to family."

"That's right, you're an orphan and an only child. How does that play into your strategy and how did that affect your reaction to being reaped?"

"First of all I was kind of shocked when I was reaped. I know there are people with their names in there more than mine was, but my attitude going into the reaping was kind of if it happens it happens. And then it happened and my exact words were Damn it. I thought I would be safe but I wasn't. Now having only Tabi to go home to has made me more at ease about the games. I wouldn't mind winning because I kind of really enjoy living." I pause as the crowd laughs a little. "But I know everyone else wants to win too so I'll keep fighting until that's not an option anymore."

"Rumor has it you and Scarlet are a couple. Is that true?"

"Yes it is true; she's given me a sense of normalcy in this whole thing. Most people see being reaped as the end of your life but with Scarlet my life has just taken a turn that's all."

"Very mature words coming from someone so young."

"I may be young, but I'm smart. I know a lot more than people give me credit for."

"You seem confident."

"I am and I am going to use than confidence to help Scarlet and I reach the end. Then we'll figure out which one of us is leaving alive." The buzzer sounds signaling the time is up. "It was nice talking to you Caesar."

"It was nice talking to you as well Crisis, and good luck to you."

"Thank you." And with that I exit the stage. For the first time in 2 weeks I said that I might leave alive. For the first time the possibility gas crossed my mind that Scarlet might not be the victor and it dawns on me. This change of heart was because of what Tabi said.

I always thought I had been alone and now I know I never really was, but if I die for Scarlet she will be and that will be my fault. I stopped her from getting a family and I'm not going to take the last person she has left from her. I can't.

If I do then I know who will be the female tribute next year and she just might give up too, and I can't risk that.

POV of Eric

"Eric what do you think of the Capitol?" Caesar asks me.

"It's very extravagant and the food is delicious." I reply.

"Everyone has been commenting on the food." He laughs.

"Well it's nothing like anything we've ever had before. I guarantee that. I think I might have been the closest. My father is the mayor and we went out to eat a lot. But most districts don't get much food and not good quality either."

"Speaking of the district we all saw your reaction to being reaped. You looked terrified. How did you feel getting reaped?"

"I was terrified. It was my first year with my name in and we're well off enough that I didn't need to sign up for the help. This was my sister's last year so we were going to go out and celebrate and then my name was called. I felt like my whole world was crashing down around me. I wasn't prepared for this, but my district partner helped me realize that my life wasn't over just because I got reaped, but moping around wasn't going to help me survive. So I started to train."

"That's an impressive story, and your training score proves you worked hard."

"Thank you. It was a lot of work."

"I'm sure you'll be a formidable opponent."

"I have a plan and I know it will be a shocker."

"Can we have a hint?"

"I have some unlikely allies and I know it's going to make for some great entertainment."

"Doesn't that sound interesting everyone?" The crowd claps furiously. I smile and wave as I wait for it to die down.

"Well I have to have something up my sleeve if I want to win. I'm not the strongest and I don't have much survival experience but I'm great with people and I'm using that to my advantage."

POV of Tess

"Tess, we all saw how you volunteered for your cousin at the reaping, does your family history have anything to do with it?"

"No, I just couldn't watch as she got sent into something I was more prepared for."

"That is very brave of you. How has being related to 2 victors, and practically adopted by the rest of them affected your preparedness for the games?"

"Well as we all know no one is supposed to officially train for the games, but being the niece of 2…I mean 3 victors you can understand them being nervous about us not being prepared for if we were reaped. So they taught me some of the skills they had, which was both for the off chance of being reaped and to help me make something of myself back home if I was never reaped." I pause for a moment. "I used to hate it, it seemed pointless because there are so many kids in district 12 so I never felt like I needed to worry much. My family was doing pretty well when it came to food so I never worried about increasing the risk. And then I heard Rue's name being called and I knew right then that all their paranoia was going to pay off."

"So would you say you had an advantage going into the training week?"

"I don't think I had much of one. I know that there are other families making sure their children are prepared and by the looks of the other tributes I'd say a lot of them are here this year." I laugh.

"I think you're right. How are you liking the Capitol?"

"It's like everything I've ever heard about it. The buildings are beautiful, the people are wonderful and the food is like nothing I've ever tried before. But my favorite thing was seeing the training center. District 12's floor is amazing and huge, and the equipment is the best I've ever seen."

"Glad to hear you're enjoying yourself." He pauses for a moment. "How does it feel having your family being your mentors?"

"It's nerve racking. It makes the pressure a whole lot more intense, but I also know they are more invested in keeping me alive than a total stranger would. So it has its benefits."

"What was it like seeing the rest of your family at the anniversary party?"

"It made me so happy, I missed them so much and it was nice to say goodbye to them in a happier setting."

"I bet it made everything a lot easier."

"It did, seeing Rue's face reminded me why I was here and that I needed to win."

"Would you say you're more determined now than you were before?"

"Definitely."

"Is there a boy waiting for you back home?"

"I'm not sure if there is one waiting for me to be honest. But I do know there is one here that is very important to me."

"Can we know who?"

"You'll find out soon enough. I need to keep some things to myself don't I?"

"I guess you do, and I'm looking forward to seeing who this boy is."

"I bet you and the rest of Panem are very excited to see us start."

"I know I am. How about all of you?" He asks the crowd. The room fills with cheers and I smile at them all. "Now you look beautiful, Cinna has outdone himself again."

"Isn't he amazing? He is so talented."

"Yes he is. Now I need to ask you something. How did you manage to get a perfect score?"

"It's a secret, but it does have a lot to do with my family and my allies. They have helped me so much and I know without them I wouldn't be prepared for this." The buzzer sounds and Caesar stands up and outstretches his hand towards me. I take it and he helps me up. "Ladies and gentlemen, Tess Hawthorne from district 12." The crowd erupts into a roar as I bow and exit the stage. The moment I am out of the camera's view I rush to the elevator to find Finn waiting for me just like he said he would.

**REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! Please, Please, Please!**

**Alliances.**

**Careers: Diamond, Titanium, Onyx, Slate (for now), & Electra**

**Finn, Angel & Tess**

**Eric, Riley, & Slate (in arena)**

**Onyx & Slate (true alliance)**

**Rose & Elm**

**Scarlet & Crisis**

**Alone: Carter, Faith, Calla, Hazel, Joseph, Gigot, Ricky, Garnet, Iris & Falon**


	38. Chapter 36 Prep Time Before Arena

**Sorry it's taken so long to update. But after this chapter we're finally into the arena. YAY! I know that's what we've all been waiting for. **

Prep Time

POV of Tess

As the prep team silently get's me to beauty base zero I think about how they must be feeling. They've known me since I was born and now they're getting me ready to fight to the death with 23 other very capable tributes.

The door opens and a sad looking Cinna walks into the room. The prep team runs to the door and turns back to look at me with tear filled eyes. Cinna looks back at them and the slowly close the door behind them. I close my eyes remembering their faces so that I could think about them while in the arena. Cinna turns back to me and I can see he's emotional as well.

"Don't you dare start crying. You'll make me cry." I say as I fall into his outstretched arms.

"I'm going to tell you what I told your Aunt, if I could bet all my bets would be on you. You're stunning, smart and you know how to survive. You can do this, even though it's going to be hard. I know you're in love..." I try to interrupt him but he continues anyway. "Don't tell me otherwise, I saw the way your Aunt and Uncle looked at each other and I could tell it was love; even before Katniss knew it. So being in love with someone you ultimately need to kill or let die it is going to take everything you have, but I know you're strong enough to do what you have to, to get home to all of us. And you have a huge family here to support you."

"I hope I can do it."

"I know you can. Now it's time to get you in your outfit." He says pulling out a large dress bag. He pulls out a deep grey shirt and pants set. There is a black stripe going down each sleeve, down each side of the shirt, across the shoulders and down each pant leg. The number 12 is written on each sleeve and the back below my name. That's weird I've never seen names on them before. Oh well. It's nice to know that if my body is mangled beyond recognition my family will get the right body.

"But what if I can't kill…"

"Finn and Angel?"

"Yeah." I pause as I pull the pants up my legs and button them. "Angel is like a little sister to me, we've grown so close. And well Finn…he's…very special to me. I know you think I'm in love with him, but I'm just not sure. I know I love him, but being in love is like what my parents have or my Aunt and Uncle, and we all know they couldn't kill each other. So if I was in love with him I couldn't kill him and I'd never see my family again?"

"I know it will be hard, and I know you care about him a lot. But Tess you can't let this get in the way of your survival. You just can't."

A man walks into the room just as I finish zipping up my shirt. "Cinna, Ms Hawthorne it's time to leave now. You have a long ride a head of you." He leaves as quickly as he came, leaving Cinna and I alone again.

"Remember what everyone agreed on. Once you step off that stand you grab whatever is closest to you and you 3 run to the tree line. There always is one. Where you go from there is entirely up to you, but please, whatever you do, do not go to the cornucopia. You're strong but you'll be out numbered."

"I know. I won't take risks I promise." That is unless I see a clear shot at something that will save my life out there. I'd rather die trying to survive than die from starvation, dehydration or from the cold. If I die like that I plan for it to be back in district 12 where it's a regular occurrence, but in the Hunger Games if you don't die by another tribute you better not die.

POV of Crisis

I look myself over in the mirror thinking about how the only things that tell me apart from the other tributes are the number on my sleeve and my back and my name right above the number. Oh and the color of my stripe.

Every year they make sure each district has their own color stripe on the shirts and pants. This year we have pale blue. At least I know everyone will know who I am.

It's not like I have anyone out there that will need to get my body back. I have no family. All I have is Scarlet and Tabi. Tabi will want my body back. She made me feel so guilty about being here, but it's not my fault I was reaped. But it is my fault I decided to sacrifice myself for Scarlet. I know I'm all she has, but with me gone she might be able to get adopted. I won't be holding her back anymore. What am I saying? She won't leave the place we both grew up. She'll be stuck there thinking about all the fun we had and wishing I was still there.

Why am I spending this whole time thinking about Tabi? She's not here with me now and I have to focus on mine and Scarlet's future. But how can I only think of myself when I'm going to be spending the rest of my life with Scarlet while Tabi is going to spend the rest of her life alone, miserable. At least I have someone.

Why do I feel this way?

"Crisis it's time to get going." My stylist says. We walk down the hallway to the elevator. The ride is longer than any of the other rides I've been on. When we get to the roof I look up to see a hovercraft above us. As we walk towards it I see Scarlet getting on some sort of platform before it raises her up. After a moment the empty platform returns and the next tribute steps on.

The line grew shorter with each passing moment and the reality of where I was going began to sink in. In less than a day I will be in the new arena. I will be fighting for my life and Scarlet's all while the only friend I've ever had watches as in my darkest moments I grow closer to a girl I just met a few weeks ago. I love Scarlet and I know that, but I love Tabi too, maybe not in the same way but a whole lot more. I always said I didn't have a family or that I was alone but I never really was. She was by my side and if I let myself die I will be abandoning her. I can't do it.

The thought of winning to go back to see her has crossed my mind before, but when I see Scarlet it's always made me want to save her. So I push my guilt aside and focus on that, but this time is different. I know what I'm doing now. I know what's at stake. I need to make it home to Tabi, to apologize for all the hurt I've caused her, and hopefully to get her forgiveness.

POV of Eric

"Left arm please." A nurse says to me as the door to the hovercraft finally closes. I stretch out my arm and she presses a strange gun like object to my arm. After a moment of pain she pulls away and makes her way down the row of tributes. I look at my arm to notice a bump where the pain came from. I poke it, realizing what it was and decide to leave it alone. It's the tracker they implant into us so they can keep track of us in the arena.

This makes everything so much more real. In a little while I'll be in an arena with 2 people I barely know, trusting them with my life. I know eventually they'll try to kill me but by them I'll know all their strengths and I'll be able to sneak out while their sleeping. What am I saying? If I just leave them then they'll surely kill me. I need to kill them before they kill me.

Once the nurse leaves I feel the hovercraft take off and all of a sudden I don't feel anything anymore. It's almost as if we're not moving. I look around to see all the other tributes and their stylists sitting in the chairs that line the walls. No one is talking and I begin to think this is going to be a longer ride than I expected.

Sitting there silently I have a lot of time to think about what I'm going to do in the arena. I look over to Riley and mouth the words "Follow me." She nods and smiles. I see Slate looking at me and I mouth "Follow me." He looks around to make sure none of careers are watching before nodding.

I feel so in control right now. I have a career in my back pocket and none of his teammates even know about it. I feel powerful, I am powerful. I can control so much of the game it's not even funny. But that doesn't mean I'm comfortable or safe. It means the opposite actually. I will become a target. So I need to lay low for now. If not I'm screwed. As I think about how I'm going to make a splash in the games I begin to nod off.

_*Later That Night*_

I feel a slight jerk that wakes me from my sleep. For a moment I'm confused until I realize we've arrived. Slowly the districts file out of the hovercraft. When it was mine and Calla's turn to exit the craft we step onto the platform and place out hands on the railing. Static electricity clings us to the platform as it slowly lowers to the ground. We are ushered into another hallway and then rushed down separate hallways. My stylist opens the door to a small room and we walk in. Now the wait begins and the rest of my life is hanging in the balance.

**I hope you like the chapter. Please review. I want to know some feedback and maybe an idea or 2 for in the arena. I'm still planning the days out so who knows, your idea may be something I use. **

**Alliances.**

**Careers: Diamond, Titanium, Onyx, Slate (for now), & Electra**

**Finn, Angel & Tess**

**Eric, Riley, & Slate (in arena)**

**Onyx & Slate (true alliance)**

**Rose & Elm**

**Scarlet & Crisis**

**Alone: Carter, Faith, Calla, Hazel, Joseph, Gigot, Ricky, Garnet, Iris & Falon**


	39. Chapter 37 Minute on the Stand

Minute on the Stand

POV of Finn

As the platform begins to rise I see the last of my stylist. Stephan was right she is pretty cool I guess. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm going to miss her. Speaking of missing people, there are so many that I am going to miss while I'm in the games. Stephan is pretty high up on that list, following my parents of course.

Suddenly I see light as I grow closer to the top of the tube. Sunshine and warm air quickly surrounds me and I need to wait for my eyes to adjust.

"Welcome tributes to the 95th annual Hunger Games! Let us remind you of the rules. First things first, right now you are all on a metal platform surrounded by landmines. If you step off your platform before the timer counts down to zero they bombs with detonate and you will be killed. Second of all the bombs will not be rearmed under any circumstances, I hope that is understood." He pauses for a moment and I look around. Some of the other tributes look unhappy about this rule, but it's been a rule for a few decades now so I don't understand the shock. "Next up is how you're going to play the game. Now I understand there are alliances and that is fine, but remember this is an individual's game. Only one of you will live so don't get too close to anyone while you're out there. Let's get this started shall we." Claudius says before the world goes silent.

Then a holographic timer appears in the air with the number 60 glowing in red. As is begins to count down mechanical voice says the numbers aloud. Quickly I look around for Tess and Angel. At first I cannot find them, but then I spot Tess almost behind the cornucopia. She looks up and notices me looking at her. I see a tree line behind her a motion for her to run that way. She mouths the words "I see Angel." And I nod as if telling her to make sure Angel knows where to go too. She nods in agreement and turns her head the other way. I can see her mouthing something to who I assume to be Angel on the other side of the cornucopia.

I look in front of me to see what there is for grab. I see 3 backpacks, one small, one medium and one large. I decide to go for those since they're on my way anyway. I also notice a trident and a bow at the mouth of the cornucopia. It's a bit of a risk but with those 2 things Tess and I could catch food and protect ourselves and Angel a lot better. I decide it's a risk worth taking. I notice Tess eying a backpack and a jug of water near her. I wait for her to notice me looking at her and then nod as if telling her to go for it. She smiles knowing what I mean and get's ready to run for it and then take off.

"40" The voice calls out. 40 more seconds left of safety and then the games really begin.

POV of Rose

"39" The voice calls out.

Where the hell is Elm? He must be on the other side of the cornucopia. Just great. How am I supposed to make sure we go the same way if I don't even know where he is? This is just perfect.

I scout out the area in front of me and see a few backpacks and a bag of fruit. Okay I need to grab that before I try to find Elm. I hope he has some good things where he is. We could use all the help we could get.

Looking around the arena I see that there is a tree line, a lake and a large mountain range. I assume there is more on the other side of the cornucopia. We'll have to check that out later in the week. Maybe there will be some place to get some food.

"30" The voice calls out again. 30 more seconds and I have to run for my life. All of a sudden a shine catches my eye and I look to see an axe in the distance. It's a bit of a risk, but if could mean the difference between life and death. But on the other hand I should see what I have in the backpacks before risking my life to get something I might already have.

I know what I'll do. After Elm and I set up camp and go through what we have for supplies I'll come back and spy on the career camp. I'll see what they have left and decide what's worth stealing. Once I have that figured out all I'll have to do it come back and take what I want. And maybe kill a few careers if I get the chance.

"25" It's getting close to the start of the game. My nerves are on edge and my adrenaline is pumping. I just want to get this started already so it can end sooner. I don't want to drag this thing out. Lily doesn't have much time and I'm not wasting what little time she has left running around the arena making friends. I'm here to kill everyone else so I can save her. And that's exactly what I plan on doing.

"20"

POV of Slate

20 seconds left, 20 more seconds of the life I once knew. After that buzzer rings I am no longer the mild mannered Slate my friends and family knew back home, I will be a ruthless killing machine just like the Capitol wants me to be.

Looking around I see Eric and behind him a field with tall grass behind it. I nod towards him and he takes a quick glance behind him. When he turns back to me he has a huge smile on his face. I can tell he agrees. I nod towards the medium sized backpack in front of him and he gets himself in a stance ready to sprint towards it so he can get the hell out of here before the careers target him.

I see Riley; she's only a few people to the left of Eric. I nod behind her as well, she looks back and nods in agreement. She glances down towards the backpack and dagger in front of her and I nod knowing she is asking if she should go for it. She smiles and positions herself to go for it.

"15" As the time grows shorter I know I need to look for Onyx and the others.

I see Diamond almost behind the cornucopia. Okay good she's not near Riley or Eric. I look for Titanium and see that he isn't anywhere in sight. He must be on the other side. I see Onyx almost behind the cornucopia on the opposite side of Diamond. Okay 3 down one to go. Where is Electra? I look directly to my right to see her focused on the cornucopia and getting a deadly weapon. Well that was easy.

Now it's time to turn my focus on the competition. I only have about 10 seconds left before everyone scatters and I need to get my hands on a weapon and fast. And then I need to talk to Onyx.

I know I'll be watched, but this might be my last time to talk to her. Jade will hate me for this but I need to see Onyx, I need to make sure she knows how I feel about her just in case I don't get another chance to tell her. Jade will understand. She's seen what the games does to people. How it brings them together just to tear them apart. It makes people form relationships they normally wouldn't have formed and it turns the closest of friends into enemies.

She has to understand that Onyx has been my rock, my best friend and she has turned into so much more to me. I love her almost as much as I love Jade. The only difference is Onyx is here and now, Jade was then and may be my future as well, but Onyx; she's my present and I can't just walk away from her. I made the mistake of walking away from a girl I loved once and I never plan on doing it again.

"5, 4, 3, 2…"

**I hope you all liked the chapter. I know it's short but I thought that it was important to have a chapter dedicated to each of the 3 major moments leading up to the first day in the arena. Next up the bloodbath at the cornucopia and the moments directly after it. You'll see Onyx and Slate's possible final moment, who dies and who wins and where everyone camps out for the night. Keep reading to find out if any of the "main characters" die in the first day or if they kill for that matter. Please review. I LOVE hearing your feedback. It honestly gives me the motivation to keep writing. Tell your friends about me please. I want more readers.**

**Alliances.**

**Careers: Diamond, Titanium, Onyx, Slate (for now), & Electra**

**Finn, Angel & Tess**

**Eric, Riley, & Slate (in arena)**

**Onyx & Slate (true alliance)**

**Rose & Elm**

**Scarlet & Crisis**

**Alone: Carter, Faith, Calla, Hazel, Joseph, Gigot, Ricky, Garnet, Iris & Falon**


	40. Arena Update

Arena Update

Alright everyone here is our next update. Below will be a picture I created for the arena and what it looks like. It is split up into different sections and each section will have its own set of twists, animals and mutts. Listed below the picture will be a description of each section.

1: Mountains

Small mountain range.

1 large peek, 2-3 medium peeks, 3-5 small peeks

River running from highest peak down through the range all the way to the lake

Trees scattered on mountains and around the base

Mutts: Hawks, Rams, Jabber Jays

Gamemaker Twists: Avalanche/mud slide

Animals: Mountain lions,

2: Hills

Different sizes

River running through them

Flower/berry bushes

Mutts: Snakes, Large Rodent Like Creatures

Gamemaker Twists: Sink holes with a snake pit under

Animals: Rabbits, Snakes (poisonous and nonpoisonous),

3: Village

5-10 small houses

4-7 medium sized houses

2-3 large houses

Different supplies in each house.

River running in front of it, small bridge

Mutts: Rats

Gamemaker Twists:

Animals: Birds, Rats

4: Fields

Back field tall grass.

Flowers

River cutting straight through it

Mutts: N/A

Gamemaker Twists: Underground tunnels with parts that collapse into the tunnels

Animals: Rabbits, Gophers, Snakes (poisonous and nonpoisonous)

5: Lake

Large and deep

Large rocks around ¼ of the edges (near the deepest end)

River running into the lake

Mutts: Lizards, Fish

Gamemaker Twists:

Animals: Fish, Frogs, Lizards

6: Marsh

Tall marsh grasses

Swampy

Mutts: Giant Crocodiles

Gamemaker Twists: Flooding, sink holes, thick mud that can trap you

Animals: Snapping Turtles, Frogs,

7: Forest

Thin trees around the front back and sides.

Denser in the middle (still enough room to move)

Mutts: Jaberjays, Tracker Jackers, Squirrels, Wolves

Gamemaker Twists: Forest fire, trees falling

Animals: Squirrels, Rabbits, Birds, Foxes, Deer


	41. Chapter 38 Cornucopia

**All of these POVs are happening at the exact same moment so you'll see paths cross and some of the main characters might even get into a fight with each other. From now on each chapter will end with alliances, death count, injuries and also what section of the arena the tributes are in. **

Cornucopia

POV of Slate

"…1, 0"

The buzzer goes off and all of us start running in different directions. I run straight to towards the cornucopia grabbing backpacks and weapons as I go. Once I got to the mouth of the cornucopia I drop everything I was carrying and start digging through the piles of stuff to find a suitable weapon.

I see a sword and 2 daggers, and quickly grab them. This will work. I put the daggers in my belt on either side, grip the handle of the sword firmly with both hands and charge at boy from 11 who is behind Onyx.

"Onyx! Duck!" I scream. Her head jerks up and her eyes catch mine. "Now!" She ducks just in time as I swing my sword, slicing the boy through the stomach. He clutches his stomach as he wails in pain, just before falling forward. I stand above him, raise the sword above my head and bring it down swiftly, severing his head from his body. I wince at the sight of my first kill but it makes me feel better knowing I saved Onyx. I look down to see he has a poison dart in his hand. If it wasn't for my action then Onyx would be dead and I wouldn't be able to tell her all the things I need to tell her.

"Thanks for that." She smiles at me.

"No problem." I smile back. "Take these. You need something." I say handing her the daggers.

"I'd rather have some throwing knives."

"Well they're not going to help you in close courters combat. So take the knives."

"Fine. But only because I'd rather have something than nothing." She laughs. "Come on let's go. We're missing all the fun." With that she runs off to take part in the action. I can't help but smile at how excited she is.

I take one final look at my first kill. Chills go up and down my spine as I see his innards spewed out in front of him and his head a foot or so away from the rest of him. My stomach turns and I feel like I might lose my breakfast. If I ever get used to this I think I might just off myself, because this crap, is sick. But I have a lot more ahead of me so I need to learn to hold my stomach or I just might die of malnutrition or starvation before anyone else gets to me.

After a few minutes the chaos dies down as the remainder of us are either the careers and are camping here, or dead bodies.

POV of Tess

"…1, 0" And we're off. I run out in front of my grab the backpack and the jug of water I had been eyeing and head for Angel. She's only 4 people down from me and once I get to her I notice she has a small backpack on her back and a dagger.

"Nice catch." I say to her with a smile. "Let's go." I reach out my hand and she takes it without hesitation. Gripping each other's hand as tight as we can we start running for the tree line. It's not too far of run, but with the adrenaline from the commotion behind us has our hearts racing which in turn makes it hard to breathe.

When we reach the tree line I boost Angel in a tree. I pass the bags up to her and then the jug of water. "Now stay there. I'll wait for Finn, but I want you out of sight." She nods and hides behind a thick bunch of leaves.

I make my way to a bush and crouch in it. I can see the battle ahead of me and it makes me feel sick.

All of a sudden I see a figure sprinting towards us. Fuck! I'm unprotected. As long as Angel is protected that's all that matters. The closer it get's the more detail I can make out. The figure is covered in blood and panting. Oh my god, it's Finn!

"Finn! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. The bloods not mine." He pauses. "Where is Angel?"

"Up here." She says as she peeks out from behind the leaves. She passes the supplies down to me and cautiously jumps down from the branch. "Who's blood is all over you?"

"Angel that doesn't matter now. We're still in the open we need to get going."

I hand Angel back one of the backpacks and we all head off running through the woods. The deeper we go the more dense the layer of trees become. We have to slow down a little just to make it through the maze of branches a roots safely.

I can't help but the same thing Angel is. Who's blood is all over Finn and…did he kill them?

POV of Rose

"…1,0" The buzzer sounds and I begin running. I don't care where everyone else is going all I care about is finding Elm and getting the hell out of here.

I grab the backpacks and the bag of fruit and I start looking for Elm. Dodging terrified tributes and flying knives, determined to find the only person I care about in these games.

As I frantically look for Elm I see the boy from 4 running off to the woods covered in blood and carrying a trident, a bow and 2 sheaths of arrows. If I find out that blood is Elm's I will kill him. And not quickly like I had been planning before, slowly and painfully. To teach him a lesson about messing with me and the people I care for.

I start looking at the ground to make sure I don't see Elm's body. But I can't see him anywhere. Crap. Where is he?

"Rose!" I hear his voice call out to me, but I can't find him anywhere.

"Elm! Elm where are you?" I scream franticly looking around for him.

"Right here." His voice sounds closer now, like it's coming from behind me. I turn around to see him standing there, not a scratch on him. Overcome with relief I hug him as tight as I can. "I'm happy to see you fine too Rose, but now is not the time for a touching reunion. We need to get out of here before someone realizes that we're sitting ducks." He says grabbing my hand and running towards the woods.

"Go to that side of the woods. I was the alliance of 4 and the girl from 12 go this way. We don't want to run into them. They have weapons and I'm pretty sure the boy killed someone already."

He nods. We switch direction a bit and start sprinting towards the tree line.

When we finally reach it we take a breather for a moment. I look back towards the cornucopia to see chaos everywhere. Bodies lay in pools of blood and children with blood smeared faces smile and laugh at the loss of life. What monsters they have become.

"Rose we need to keep going. We're still noticeable here."

"Yeah, but right now the careers are preoccupied by the blood and gore in front of them and the spoils they have gains. And well all the other tributes are either dead or running for their lives. I think we're safe for now." I pause for a moment. "Besides we should see what we have in the backpacks."

"Alright I guess. But we should make it quick. I don't want to be here for long."

I put down the 2 backpacks I grabbed before and the bag of fruit. "Did you get anything?"

"No. I was too busy trying to find you. Getting supplies slipped my mind." Great.

"Then it's good I grabbed 2 than isn't it?" I open the large backpack first to find it filled with supplies. Okay this makes him not getting anything so much better. I begin to empty it out on a rock when we hear a twig snap. "It seems like we need to finish this later." I say stuffing the stuff I took out back in the bag, handing the medium bag to Elm and grabbing the bag of fruit.

"Let's get out of here."

"I'm right behind you."

POV of Crisis

"…1,0"

I start running towards the back of the cornucopia, where Scarlet and I said we'd meet. Along the way I grab a small black case about the size of my fist and a small backpack. Once I get there I don't see Scarlet but I do see a bottle of water and a tiny first aid kit. I stuff them both in the backpack and climb up the back of the cornucopia to get a better view.

I see Scarlet being harassed by the guy from district 1. He's having fun tormenting her before he plans on killing her. Well I'm not going to let that happen. I jump down and grab a club that was by the base of the cornucopia.

Raising the club above my head I charge towards them, ready to knock him unconscious. Killing isn't a priority right now. Getting Scarlet out of here is. I know she did really well in training but she has no weapons right now so as far as I'm concerned she needs my help.

Swiftly I bring the club down onto his head and his limp body falls to the ground. Scarlet stares at him barely moving, trembling in shock and terror.

"We need to get out of here." I say grabbing her hand. I take a quick look around and see a mountain range in the distance. No one seems to be running in that direction so I decide it's probably a good idea if we head there. At least there could be a cave or something to seek shelter in. "This way." I give her a tug but she doesn't move. "Scarlet, snap out of it, let's go!" I yell pulling her as hard as I could. She stumbles a bit and looks at me blankly. "We need to go, he'll be waking up soon and he's going to be pissed." I say pointing over to the still body lying on the ground.

"Okay." She says faintly. She's still in a bit of a daze but there is no time to let her recover. I gently pull her, but unlike before this time her feet follow. Gradually we gain speed until we're both running as fast as we can towards the mountains.

I was expecting to be useless to Scarlet in fight situation only to find out that although she has skill she is still just a scared teenage girl wanting to go back home.

Hand in hand we run across the large stretch of land that lies between us and the mountain range we will seek refuge in. As we get closer a see a thin layer of trees in front of the first few mountains.

Peeking around the back of the first mountain is a smaller one. It looks like it would be manageable to climb in a the hours we have left before dark. I decide that's where we'll stay. No one will think we've made it to the top of a mountain and therefore will search the bases instead of climbing all the way up them. Plus it's near the front so we have a decent view but no one would suspect us being this close. Most tribute try to get as far away as possible and I'll use that to my advantage.

"Crisis, where are we going?" Scarlet whines, she must be getting tired.

" Up there." I say pointing to the small mountain.

"Why up there? Can't we rest at the bottom for the night?"

"Scarlet, they'll be looking for us and I will bet you anything we're first on their kill list after what I did." Reluctantly she follows me to the base of the mountain and up the thin path. The edges crumble under our feet so we place our backs against the mountain itself and walk sideways up the rest of the slope.

_*3 hours later*_

The air grows cold and thin as we grow closer to the peek. The thin jackets they gave us won't be enough against the wind. Luckily I grabbed twigs and dry grass whenever I could find it. If we can find a place shielded from the wind we'll be able to build a fire. It might not be much but it's better than nothing. Besides we still don't know what we have for supplies. With any luck we'll have a blanket or sleeping bag, and some food.

POV of Eric

"…1,0"

I take a few steps forward grab the backpack that's in front of me and take off towards the village behind me. Later tonight Slate will meet me there and while I wait I'll have plenty of time to dig through the buildings and get more supplies.

I turn my head and see the blood bath ensue. Slate slashes some kid's stomach open and then lops off his head. Boy, am I glad he's on my side.

I refocus on the village and begin to sprint. I don't want the rest of the careers to catch up with me. If they do I'm dead.

As I reach the bridge in front of the village I look back in amazement at how far I came in such a short amount of time. The laps on the treadmill and around the track have really paid off. I pause for a moment to catch my breath.

I check out the bridge that looks sturdy enough, so decide I am going to cross here. Slowly I make my way across the bridge, feeling the rush of the river below me. The sheer power makes me feel like any control I had before is now gone. Step by step I edge my way closer to the village/

My heart is pounding so hard I feel like it's going to jump out of my chest, and my hands are trembling. If one of these boards gives out I'm screwed. I can't swim and the current is so intense that I don't think ability to swim would matter. You would be swept away in a matter of seconds. Besides who knows what the Gamemakers have put in there.

POV of Finn

"…1,0"

I start running, grab the backpacks without stopping and sprint towards the cornucopia. I need to get those weapons.

Then out of nowhere the girl from 6 jumps on top of me with a dagger and tries to stab me. Before she can I drop to the ground pinning her between my body and the ground. I grab her right wrist and start banging it against a nearby rock.

She screams out in pain as she lets the dagger go. Before she can recover a grab the dagger and thrust it into her chest. Her eyes go wide and the breath becomes shallow. Blood begins to seep out of the wound in her chest. She starts coughing and blood spatters all over my face. I lay there in shock as I feel the warm sticky sensation seep through my shirt. Her hands reach up to my throat. She tries to grip it, but her arms go limp and the shallow breaths I felt before seem to fade away. Her eyes still staring at me now look clouded and empty.

Slowly I stand up, still in shock at my taking a life. I hear the commotion around me and that snaps me back into reality. I begin to run again, gaining speed as I sprint towards the cornucopia. I reach down grab the bow, the trident and a few sheaths of arrows that were lying right there and I take off. I don't want to be here any longer.

As I run my thoughts go back to the girl I just murdered. Yeah she was trying to kill me, but it doesn't make it any easier to handle. I took a life. I think I might have taken the first life. When I was running I didn't see any other bodies anywhere. But then again I wasn't looking. I hope I didn't make the first kill. That would make this whole thing so much harder.

As I approach the tree line I hear Tess' voice call out to me. "Finn! Are you okay?" Am I okay? I don't think so. Oh wait, she think I'm injured.

"Yeah, I'm fine. The bloods not mine." I look around and don't see Angel. "Where is Angel?"

"Up here." I hear her voice from above me. I look up just as she peeks out from behind some leaves. She hands Tess the supplies she was hiding with her and jumps down. "Who's blood is all over you?"

"Angel that doesn't matter now. We're still in the open we need to get going."

Tess hands Angel back one of the backpacks and we all head off running through the woods. How can I tell them I killed someone already? I know that it's something all of us are expected to do, but I can't help but feel guilty. She was only trying to survive just like me, and I ended her life in a matter of minutes. Because of me her family is feeling a kind of pain that I wouldn't wish onto anyone.

**Alliances.**

**Careers: Diamond, Titanium, Onyx, Slate (for now), & Electra**

**Finn, Angel & Tess**

**Eric, Riley, & Slate (in arena)**

**Onyx & Slate (true alliance)**

**Rose & Elm**

**Scarlet & Crisis**

**Alone: Carter, Faith, Calla, Hazel, Joseph, Gigot, Ricky, Garnet, Iris & Falon**

**Deaths: (in order of death)**

**Faith (district 6) killed by Finn**

**Joseph (district 11) killed by Slate**

**Garnet (district 10) killed by Diamond**

**Gigot (district 3) killed by Onyx**

**Hazel (district 10) killed by Iris**

**Injured: **

**Riley – Gash in the back of the left arm from throwing knife.**

**Titanium – Small gash/bruise on the back of the head from club.**

**Arena – If there is a separate bullet that means they are in the same section but in a different spot**

**Mountains:**

**Crisis & Scarlet**

**Carter (district 5)**

**Isis (district 11)**

**Forest:**

**Elm & Rose**

**Ricky**

**Tess, Angel & Finn (edge of lake)**

**Lake:**

**Tess, Angel & Finn (edge of forest)**

**Marsh:**

**Field:**

**Calla (district 9)**

**Slate**

**Riley**

**Village:**

**Eric**

**Hills:**


	42. Chapter 39 Arena Day One

Arena – Day One

POV of Eric

I finally make it to the edge of the village, and make my way into one of the small houses along the edge. The room is dark and cold, but more inviting than the world outside of it. I take a few steps in and close the door behind me.

I need to look through my backpack. So I decide the best place to look is sitting under one of the windows facing the cornucopia. It is providing enough light for me to look through the house and he backpack, but is concealed enough that no one will notice I'm here.

I dump the contents of the bag on the ground and start rummaging through it. I find a small water bottle, a packet of roasted nuts, a floatation belt, a flint stone, cheese, a small bottle of iodine, a sleeve of crackers, a packet of dried fruit, a small section of rope and little black case.

I open the black case to see it filled with blow darts and 3 of each kind of tip. This and the floatation device are really going to come in handy. Slowly I put the belt on. Now I'm prepared.

Quickly I check the sink to see if it has running water. Unfortunately this one doesn't, so I run to the bathroom to check that sink and once again nothing. I look around trying to figure out where I could find more water and then it dawns on my…the tub! I turn the knobs and a dark, smelly gunk comes spewing out. Some of it splatters on me as I try to back away. This is nasty. But then something amazing begins to happen. The smell starts to disappear and the liquid begins to turn translucent. I lean closer to try and figure out what's going on, but I'm still unsure so I decide to leave it running and search he rest of the house.

Opening the medicine cabinet above the dysfunctional sink I find a tiny vial of a sweet smelling liquid. I'm not sure what it is but I bet it will come in handy. I run to the kitchen to see if I can find anything useful. Luckily I find another small water bottle, and a few pieces of fruit, fresh fruit. Now that's a real treat here.

In the bedroom I find a rickety looking bed with plenty of blankets. I decide to rest for now to regain some of my strength, because if I try tonight I'll be nothing but a sitting duck. But now, while everyone is counting their supplies is my safest bet to get any sleep. Besides, Slate and Riley will be here soon. They won't let anything happen to me.

_*a few hours later*_

I awaken to silence, eerie silence. Looking out the window I can tell night is about to fall but Slate and Riley, are nowhere to be found. Maybe they went into a different house. Or maybe I went to the wrong place.

POV of Crisis

After a few hours we finally reach a cave near the top of the mountain. The wind is biting at my face and fingers, and visibility is only a foot or so in front of you. But I heard the whistling from the wind passing by the opening. "Scarlet, in here." I scream knowing she might not have heard me. Thankfully we're still holding hands so I pull her a little and she blindly follows. I feel my way into the cave.

When we both get into the cave I sit Scarlet down and build a stack of dried twigs and grass. I dump out the contents of the small backpack and squint to see it in the dim light that manages to get through the storm. In the darkness I am only able to see the shadowy outlines of the objects.

I see a small box and I lift it up. It feels heavy for its size, but I'm not sure what it is. When I shake it, it makes a rattling sound and it gives me a sense of hope. They're matches. I push it open just enough to figure out what side is supposed to be up. Fortunately I did that or all of our matches would be on the ground. I flip it over, and take a single match out. My fingers are so numb I can barely tell I'm holding the match. As my hands shake I try to strike the side of the box and I miss the first few time.

When I finally get the match lit the sensation of warmth returning to my fingers so suddenly it's painful. Quickly I throw the lit match onto the dry grass and hope it catches. Gently I blow on the small flame coxing it to life.

Slowly the tips of my fingers return to their former state as I block the growing fire from the howling winds. The once dark cave now glows with the warmth of the fire's light. I look back to the pile of supplies on the cave floor. For a moment I look past it and see a terrified, frozen Scarlet huddled in the corner.

"Scarlet are you okay?" I ask running over to her. I grab her and she feels ice cold."Scarlet, come on. Get close to the fire." I help her to her feet and sit her down right in front of the fire. I look back to the supplies to see a small blanket.

Seeing it I got an idea. I make my way to the mouth of the cave and find a few cracks I can stuff the corners of the blanket in. As I hang it I can feel the cave getting noticeably warmer. I turn back to Scarlet to see her still shivering. "I will be comfortable in here soon. Plus this hides the light of the fire from the outside. We'll be safe here."

She looks up at me and for the first time I notice tears streaming down her face. Silently I walk over to her, slide down the cave wall and pull her into my arms. She's still freaking out about earlier. After everything that's happened today I know she needs me more than I thought she ever would. Without me she's be dead.

I start to think about the storm outside. The snow was so thick I couldn't even tell if it was still day or not.

POV of Finn

"I think we're safe now. We're on the edge of the arena and we have the lake right there, but we're concealed by the woods." I say.

"It's pretty perfect isn't it?" Tess says smiling. "Alright what do we have for supplies?"

Angel sets down a small backpack and a dagger. Tess puts down a jug of water and a medium backpack. I set down my trident, a bow, 2 sheaths of arrows, a small backpack, a medium backpack and the large backpack.

"We have a lot of stuff." Angel squeaks. I look down at the pile of supplies in front of us. We do have a lot of supplies. This is going to help us survive out here.

"Alright we should sort out what's in the backpacks. And then make a shelter." Tess says. She's right.

We start opening the backpacks and dumping the contents on the ground. With the stuff in the backpacks and the stuff we grabbed we have:

3 small water bottles

2 large water bottle

3 packets of dried meat

2 packets of roasted nuts

3 flint bars

5 rounds of cheese

2 sleeve of crackers

5 small vials of iodine

5 packets of dried fruit

3 pieces of rope (3 feet each)

2 pieces of wire (3 feet each)

1 packet of assorted arrow heads

2 packets of trail mix

1 jug of water

2 daggers

2 pack of throwing knives

1 bow

3 sheaths of arrows

1 trident

1 small sleeping bag

1 medium sleeping bag

2 boxes of matches

2 pairs of night vision glasses

1 floatation belt

"This is amazing!" Angel screams. She's right this is amazing. We have enough food to last us until we can catch some fish or wild game and we have enough water that we don't need to purify any more for quite some time.

"Alright so I'll start making a shelter. Angel can you make a net and a few fishing poles?" Tess asks and Angel nods. "Finn can you build a fire and then help me with the shelter?"

"Of course. But I think I'm going to put things away first. I'll put all the food and water in the big backpack. We can hide it in a tree and ration it out each morning. I'll make a bag for each of us and I'll put the extra stuff in the leftover bag."

"Great. We're almost as well off as the careers."

"I know. Isn't it awesome? Now they don't have an advantage over us." Angel says.

"And since they still think they do, that gives us the advantage." Tess says. "But I think to be safe we should have that shelter in the tree. They'll be looking for a real shelter on the ground. Not all the way up there."

"But isn't that going to be hard without nails or something like that?" I ask.

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing." She says winking at me. I sure hope so. Because if not this could end badly.

**Alliances.**

**Careers: Diamond, Titanium, Onyx, Slate (for now), & Electra**

**Finn, Angel & Tess**

**Eric, Riley, & Slate (in arena)**

**Onyx & Slate (true alliance)**

**Rose & Elm**

**Scarlet & Crisis**

**Alone: Carter, Faith, Calla, Hazel, Joseph, Gigot, Ricky, Garnet, Iris & Falon**

**Deaths: (in order of death)**

**Faith (district 6) killed by Finn**

**Joseph (district 11) killed by Slate**

**Garnet (district 10) killed by Diamond**

**Gigot (district 3) killed by Onyx**

**Hazel (district 10) killed by Iris**

**Falon (district 6) killed by Iris**

**Injured: **

**Riley – Gash in the back of the left arm from throwing knife.**

**Titanium – Small gash/bruise on the back of the head from club.**

**Arena – If there is a separate bullet that means they are in the same section but in a different spot**

**Mountains:**

**Crisis & Scarlet**

**Carter (district 5)**

**Isis (district 11)**

**Forest:**

**Elm & Rose**

**Ricky**

**Tess, Angel & Finn (edge of lake)**

**Lake:**

**Tess, Angel & Finn (edge of forest)**

**Marsh:**

**Field:**

**Calla (district 9)**

**Slate**

**Riley**

**Village:**

**Eric**

**Hills:**


	43. Chapter 40 Arena Night One

Arena – Night One

POV of Peeta

"How does this thing work?" Stephan asks looking around the room. His eyes grow wide at the sight of all the buttons, the touch screens and the giant televisions. Slowly he walks around the room studying every detail. I know what's going through his head. It's the same thing that went through mine my first year as a mentor. This is where the people that kept him alive did their magic. This is the room that helped him win. And that's why we all return here, to do the same for the next generation.

"It's not that complicated. Don't worry after the first day you'll get the hang of it." I say. I think back to when I went through it all those years ago. How daunting it was walking in here for the first time, remembering how Haymitch favored Katniss, mostly by my request. "This is your station. The station next to you is also for district 4. We've talked to your district partners and at least one of them will be here when you're not. Technically at least one mentor from each district needs to be here if one of their tributes is alive."

"Okay." He says looking around the station. I can tell he doesn't have a clue how to use any of this.

"Don't worry. It will be fine." Katniss says placing her hand on his shoulder. "Someone that knows what to do will be here with you at all times and it's pretty easy to get used to. If you don't have it down this year, you'll get it next year for sure.

"Don't we need t figure out who is taking first watch?" Haymitch slurs. That's right his promise was only around Tess and when he has to be in the control room. I guess that counts him out for tonight.

"He's right. We should get to work." I say.

"Since it's the first night, can't we all just stay? I want to make sure they set up camp and stay safe tonight. And I don't want to be alone just in case something goes wrong." Stephan asks. Fear still radiates from his eyes.

"I think that's a great idea." I say sitting down at my usual station. "I was going to volunteer for first night anyway." I half laugh trying to keep my mood up. But it's hard as I watch the screen and see Tess in the woods, cuddled up with Finn and Angel.

I glance over at Katniss to see her face completely emotionless. She must be shutting down again. It's been a while since she had one of these episodes.

My eyes wander in Haymitch's direction to see a drunken man struggling to watch his niece sleep in the most unforgiving place in the world.

Lastly I look to Stephan. This must be hard for him. He grew up knowing Tess as family and now his best friend is lying right beside her in a game that has only let there be 2 victors once in 95 years. It's always possible, but I doubt they'll ever let that happen again.

If they did the rebellion could start. There are hundreds of people back home that are a part of it, just waiting for the right moment to strike. Katniss and I were asked to be a part of it, but we never gave it much thought. Our children are as safe as they ever will be for the reaping and a rebellion would just put them in danger. But this year has changed my views. If Gale actually starts the rebellion in district 12 I will be there. For my family's sake, I need to.

I am snapped back into reality as Katniss sits on my lap and clings to my chest. Slowly I run my fingers through her hair as I feel her body jerk from silent sobs. Quietly I slip an arm under her legs and stand up. Haymitch moves to the side as I carry her towards the elevator. This is just too much for her.

I can hear Haymitch telling Stephan I will be back soon. He knows me too well. I want to stay and comfort Katniss until she feels up to coming back down, but I know that won't happen tonight and Haymitch is too drunk to be of much assistance to a rookie. So I'll bring her upstairs, help her shower and tuck her into bed, just as I did our first year as mentors. This year is bringing back so many memories, memories I had wanted to forget.

But I'm sure the Capitol would become depressed if I forgot, then they wouldn't be able to see my twisted and detailed paintings about the horrors I lived through and have seen.

"Peeta, where are we going?" Katniss asks, her voice weak and shaky.

"You're going to bed, and I will stay there with you for a while. But then I'm coming back to help Stephan. I'll give Cinna and Effie a call. They'll be sure to come over to keep you company if you can't sleep.

With no need for more explanation she buries her head back into my chest. The sobbing continues and I blankly stare straight ahead of me. How will she ever recover if Tess dies? How will any of us?

POV of Skylar

It's nice to see one of my tributes living it easy. Electra has her own tent, a stash of food, water and weapons.

On another screen I can see smoke. That means some poor sap in the woods started a fire. Time to see my girl in action.

"Look over there!" Diamond yells pointing towards the smoke. "A camp fire."

Titanium starts laughing. "You'd think after generations of people getting killed the first night because of this kind of thing someone would realize lighting a fire on the first night is pretty stupid."

The rest of the group starts laughing. "I say we split up a little bit. That way we can surround them. So we could each take a large backpack. So we can score any supplies they have." Onyx says.

"But we have plenty." Diamond replies.

"But if we leave if then someone else can grab it stupid." Electra snaps. I laugh a bit, but stop when I notice Crystal glaring at me. I innocently wave and focus back on the screen. I see the 5 of them grab backpacks and empty them.

"Alright, Electra you go first and get a head start. That way you can sneak around back. Diamond and Titan you go next. Once you get close one of you go left and the other go right. Slate you follow shortly after. I'll stay here to watch our stuff. To make sure no one gets any ideas while we're gone. I'll stay hidden so I can get anyone that comes up."

"Sounds great." Diamond says. "Everyone grab a bottle of water, a packet of dried fruit and a packet of either nuts or dried meat. And of course, a weapon or 2."

They start packing the bags back up and Electra takes off. My main screen follows Electra into the woods. I don't bother to look at the other screen to see what the rest of the team is doing.

POV of Rose

Elm and I sit close in a tree as we watch the darkening sky. By the way my body feels I know it's night but the sky only started to fade into black. I know the Gamemakers mess with everything but isn't it a little early for that. I mean it's day one. It couldn't have gotten boring already.

After the bloodbath had ended we heard 5 cannons sound. That's not much for the cornucopia but we had a fierce group this year. Isn't it exciting having a change of pace for once? But the fact that they're trying to disorient us already means that at least one important person is not amused. Sick bastard.

I start to nod off but the sound of a cannon jolts me back to reality. I look around in shock for a moment and shake a sleeping Elm. When he mumbles something about letting him sleep I know he's safe.

Damn it! Why am I so attached to this kid? How am I going to let him die later if I can't bare the thought of his death now?

Just then the Capitol's anthem begins to play.

I shake Elm again. "Wake up." He mumbles and brushes me off. I punch his arm and he jumps a little. He looks over at me startled.

"What was that for?"

"The deaths are about to start. You want to know who's left don't you."

"Yeah. But still…"He paused rubbing his shoulder. "…it hurt." He laughs a bit and shrugs it off.

As we look up into the sky we see the smiling faces of the tributes that died today. The group from the cornucopia goes in order of who died first.

First is the girl from 6. Although she is smiling in the picture the look in her eyes is pure terror. She was a beautiful girl, with her copper hair and sky blue eyes. I'm sure there are a ton of people back home sobbing at the loss of her.

Next is the boy from 11. He must have been a handful to take down. I thought he was going to go far in this. I guess I was wrong.

They boy from 10 was the next kill. His face looking down at me, smiling, hopeful now only reminds me that only one of us can make it out alive. And it's going to take a whole hell of a lot more than just hope to make sure you're that lucky one. Actually luck has nothing to do with it either.

Then the boy from 3, face appears. I never thought much of him. He didn't seem like he was going to go far anyway. To be honest I thought he was going to be the first kill. Props to him for lasting until 4th.

Next is the girl from 10. Wow sucks for district 10. Their mentors can pretty much go home now. Well, probably not, but they don't have to worry about looking after their tributes. Her eyes are filled with hope too. They must have has some sort of plan like Elm and I do. It's kind of sad when you think about it. I bet in those last moments the hope flickered away and fear took its place.

And now for the one that just died. The picture of the boy from 6 appears. Damn 6 too. That's kind of crazy, 2 whole districts out before the end of the first day. That was fast. Oh well, less competition for me then.

"Can you believe it? 2 districts gone already, that must be really hard. Knowing there is no chance for your district to win. No feast, now happy family. No nothing. It's sad really." Elm says quietly.

"Better them than us though. The more that die the less competition we have. Don't you want to make it far?"

"Of course I do. I want to win."

"So the others have to die. That's just how it is. Now we should get some sleep. I need to be well rested for start planning my various attacks."

Elm laughs. I smile and role my eyes. He's a dork, but that's why he's my friend.

**Alliances.**

**Careers: Diamond, Titanium, Onyx, Slate (for now), & Electra**

**Finn, Angel & Tess**

**Eric, Riley, & Slate (in arena)**

**Onyx & Slate (true alliance)**

**Rose & Elm**

**Scarlet & Crisis**

**Alone: Carter, Faith, Calla, Hazel, Joseph, Gigot, Ricky, Garnet, Iris & Falon**

**Deaths: (in order of death)**

**Faith (district 6) killed by Finn**

**Joseph (district 11) killed by Slate**

**Garnet (district 10) killed by Diamond**

**Gigot (district 3) killed by Onyx**

**Hazel (district 10) killed by Iris**

**Falon (district 6) killed by Iris (sorry for updating him too soon. I got confused by my outline)**

**Injured: **

**Riley – Gash in the back of the left arm from throwing knife.**

**Titanium – Small gash/bruise on the back of the head from club.**

**Calla – Graze mark on right cheek.**

**Arena – If there is a separate bullet that means they are in the same section but in a different spot**

**Mountains:**

**Crisis & Scarlet**

**Carter (district 5)**

**Isis (district 11)**

**Forest:**

**Elm & Rose**

**Ricky**

**Tess, Angel & Finn (edge of lake)**

**Lake:**

**Tess, Angel & Finn (edge of forest)**

**Marsh:**

**Field:**

**Calla (district 9)**

**Slate**

**Riley**

**Village:**

**Eric**

**Hills:**


	44. Chapter 41 Arena Day Two

**I know the last few chapters were short but that's because I split day one into multiple chapters to make sure that each event was the way I wanted it and the chapters weren't too long. But from now on all 10 POVs will be shown in each day, 5 in the day chapter 5 in the night chapter. I hope that satisfies everyone's need for more action/character development but doesn't annoy the people who don't like extremely long chapters. I will warn you though because there is 5 POVs per chapter it will get on the long side. Some of the characters will have more in their POV than other depending on what's going on around them and in their heads in that moment. I am open to suggestions and if you are a loyal reader I may feature an idea of yours in my story. You can suggest any minor thing in the comments, but I would prefer for the more serious stuff that you private message me so that in the event I do choose your idea everyone doesn't already know about it before I post it. Thank you all for reading. **

Arena Day Two

POV of Crystal

I need to sleep, but these people won't stop talking about last night. How it was nice to see a solid team and the addition of Electra. They are all raving about how they want to help them get to the top, so that a worthy person will win. I really don't care right now. All I want to do is sleep. I had a long night and I was focused on Diamond all night and they were chasing around some tributes that were playing games.

I stayed up all night to watch the first big kill that wasn't from the cornucopia and it never happened. I just want to go to bed and sleep for a long, long time.

All I can think about is how Diamond was throwing a fit because she could smell smoke, but couldn't see a fire. And all these people can't stop talking about it. I guess the bright side of this is they all want to help the gang kill those little fuckers that tricked them.

"It was so nice talking to you all, but as you can imagine I had a long night last night, and I would love to get some rest." I say as politely as possible.

"Oh of course. We'll talk to one of your district partners about sponsorship money." One of the ladies cooed.

"I'll talk to you later I promise. It was so nice to catch up with you though. We need to start seeing each other more than just once a year."

"I so agree. You are the most down to earth mentor here. You're so easy to talk to." The other lady says. Yeah, down to earth. Right. If only they knew what I thought of them.

"I will have to come find you the next time I don't have to either sleep or be in the control room." I laugh. Soon the 2 fluorescent ladies are laughing as well. I can't stand the barking they call laughs from these multi-color heifers. They make me wish they were in the games with me. I would have slowly rung their necks to test the theory of faces turning blue, oh and the one about how fast a fat person can run if they're scared. The thought of them waddling away from me makes me laugh even more. But this time it's real. "But girls I really have to go before you need to drag me to the training center." We laugh again.

"Then you better get going. I have no strength." The fatter one says. Of course you don't, all you do is eat. How do you get so fat with that puke vial around? I thought that stuff was supposed to keep you thin. I guess these girls didn't have enough of that.

POV of Stephan

While watching the main screen that is focused on the career camp and the chaos that is going on there since last night's wild goose chase I happen to notice Trinity gasp at something on her screen. Feeling a bit nosey I glace over to see a fight going on. I can barely make out the figures but by the outlines I can at least tell one is male and one is female.

Quickly I look back up at the main screen to see Electra sitting at camp. Alright so if it's on her screen then it must be the boy from 5, Carter I think. So who is the girl?

I look back over at her screen to see the girl over-powering the guy. Eager to find out who the mystery girl is I back up a bit, but only manage to fall out of my chair.

Before I can get up the whole room is watching my.

"Leave the kid alone! It's his first year! Remember your first year? So back off!" I hear my Aunt's voice ring out through the room. I look up to see her standing over me with her hand outstretched.

"Thanks, for everything." I say reaching for her hand. Slowly she helps me to my feet. When I look up I see that what I was straining to see was on the main screen. In full view everyone can see Iris, the girl from 11 standing over a begging, bleeding Carter.

"Please, please do not do this. I'm not a threat to you."

Iris laughs an eerie, evil laugh. By this laugh I can tell she doesn't care about human life or life at all. She just wants to kill everything in the arena. "Stupid kid, I know you're not a real threat, but anything living is a threat to my survival. You might not be able to kill me, but who knows you could be smart, or good a hiding or maybe even good with a long distance weapon. And if I let you live, then I'm giving you hope you can win. And if you win that means I must lose and that, poor boy, is not going to happen. You see I want to go home breathing…" He tries to interrupt her but she just shushes him and continues talking. As the scene unveils the entire room feels like everyone has stopped breathing, because now we see this girl is a bigger threat than any of us thought. "…I know you want to go home too, but only one of us can. Now do you see where that creates a problem?" She waits for him to respond, but he only stares up at her terrified. "Do you?" She screams. The sudden change in her voice not only made Carter jump, but a handful of us as well.

"Yes." He replies. His voice shaking nearly as bad as his body. He starts to cry.

"Don't cry." She says as she bends down slowly, touching his cheek with her hand. The fluidity of how her emotions change is intriguing and disturbing. Suddenly Carter pulls out a dagger and tries to stab Iris. She jumps back. "Sneaky little brat. You attack while I'm trying to comfort you. I wanted your death to be dignified. But you had to pull a stunt like this." All the while she's talking; she circles him, now holding a dagger of her own. "Now I want to let you in a few of my secrets." She says calmly. In a blink of an eye she's in a different spot. "I'm really fast." Next she climbs a tree about as fast as the district 7 kids. "And I can climb." Poor Carter is trying to follow her voice, since he lost track of her when she moved. Every time she talks he quickly turns in the direction he though he heard her from, but by then it's too late. She's moved. "Do you want to know my last secret?" The eerie calm in her voice as she slowly walks into view again gives me chills and makes my hair stand on ends. "Well do you?" She asks, keeping the pace she's had. Everyone's eyes focus on Carter as we can see he's frozen in fear. The poor kid knows she's too fast for him to run from or have a prayer of landing a hit. He's watching her approach knowing her face will be his last image. He knows he's going to die. As if giving up he releases his knife and drops to his knees. "Now this isn't any fun. Giving up so soon." She kneels in front of him, grabs his knife and places it in his hand. "I want a challenge, Carter." She grabs his other hand and helps him to his feet.

The sight of her toying with him puts my stomach in knots. As I glace around the room I can see the look or disgust and terror across most everyone's faces. Even the careers seem shocked at the mind games she's playing with him.

"Why don't you just kill me? We both know that's what you're planning." Carter manages to say. His voice now seems calm. He's finally accepted what's going to happen.

"Because Carter, I want you to fight back. It's no fun if you let me win."

"I'm not playing your game Iris. You're sick!"

"Now, now Carter, there is no need for name calling. Can't we be friends?"

"Friends? Friends don't kill each other, and if they're here together they certainly don't play mind games. I can see it in your eyes. You're loving this. You're enjoying the emotional torment you're causing me." He pauses and grips his knife properly. "But if a fight will end this sooner then let's do this!" He yells as he charges towards her. She steps out of the way. "Just fight me!" She screams again, as he charges for her once more. Like before she steps out of his way. "Damn it Iris! You wanted a fight so fight." He says, now struggling to catch his breath. The anxiety must be getting to him, and the screaming isn't helping him either.

A glimmer of success shines in Iris' eyes. I know that look. She was planning this all along. She wanted him to get angry and act reckless. That's what she was planning all along. She wanted to break him every way she could. "Then let's fight." She says with a determined look on her face. Carter charges at her again and instead of dodging him she just stands there, smiling. Carter runs past her and stops dead in his tracks. His eyes open wide and his mouth gaping open.

All of us stare in shock as blood start to seep through his shirt. He looks down at the growing red stain on his chest.

"Didn't even feel it, did you?" Iris laughs. Carter slowly, stumbles around and looks at Iris.

"How?"

"I told you, I'm fast. But you never let me tell you my last secret." Shock overtook his face. "I'm excellent with a knife."

All of a sudden Carter drops to the ground, reaching towards Isis. The room feels as if everything has died at the sight of what this girl can do. I'm starting to lose faith in my tributes and my cousin. They need to be careful of this one. She has a lot of advantages and could end the game before the Capitol get's their fill of blood and gore. But there is one thing I know for sure. Her scene today will either lose us sponsors because they want to vote for the strongest tribute or they'll want to help us even more to see if someone can bring her down. Personally I hope it's the second one, because who knows what she could do with some help if she can do this on her own.

POV of Crisis

_BOOM!_

I just at the sound of a cannon going off; another tribute died. 7 dead, 17 left and who knows how long it might take for the rest of us to be killed. We could be here for weeks. I doubt it though. The Capitol citizens will get restless and demand something speed it up. There have been years it's lasted a few weeks though. Usually it's because of a victor's child or resourceful tributes. But then again we do have some tough tributes and alliances and the niece of quite a few victors so this might be one of the long ones.

The thought of being here for weeks sickens me. I want all of this to end as soon as possible, whether I make it out of here alive or not. I don't want to be trapped in a living hell, running for my life and being forced to murder for entertainment. I'd rather die. Hell I might even do it myself if it feel like anything longer than 2 weeks. Even that could push me to my limit.

Just then I realize I need to tend to the fire. It's turning into embers and the light is quickly fading. Then I remember the blanket over the mouth of the cave. Trying not to disturb Scarlet I carefully slide my shoulder from under her head, bracing it with my hands and gently placing it on the ground. She stirs a little and I watch to see if she gets up. Thankfully she only rolls over, still sound asleep. Feeling guilty our only blanket is acting as a door I remove my jacket and place it over her. It's not much, but it's better than nothing.

As I edge my way to the entrance of the cave I notice there is no longer the howl of fast moving winds. That's a relief. Slowly I pull back the blanket to see a large pile of snow in front of me. It goes up to my waist. Shit. The storm practically snowed us in. It's going to take a miracle to dig our way back down this thing. Maybe there is a way out towards the back. I remember one year the arena was a giant mountain range with a series of tunnels running through it connecting all the mountains together and creating plenty of places to hide.

Trying not to make much noise I run to the back of the cave to find a small whole, just barely large enough for Scarlet and I to get through with our supplies. Perfect! Remembering that we were told we could save our material for making a fire by creating char-cloth I rip a piece of my shirt that's about as my thumb. Next I grab one of the empty metal water bottles and make sure it's empty. Carefully I place the cloth in the container and toss it into the embers. I wait until the container starts to have an orange glow about it and quickly kick it out of the embers. After letting the container cool I open it to see the charcoal black piece of cloth. I smile contently knowing I have found another way to care for Scarlet.

As quietly as possible I pack the supplies and retrieve the blanket. I look back to see Scarlet sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

"What time is it?" She mumbles.

"Not sure babe, but we should get going soon. We don't want to stay in one place for too long. It could backfire on us." I reply calmly as I walk over to her folding the blanket. "You see that whole back there? We need to crawl through it. We're practically snowed in and it will be a lot more noticeable if we're digging around in the snow." I say taking her hands in mine and pulling her onto her feet.

"But I'm still tired." She says pouting.

"I know you are, but we need to go." I say picking my jacket up off the floor.

"How did that get there?"

"I had to get up and the fire was dying so I figured you could use it more than me, since I was going to be moving around a lot."

"You're so sweet." She says hugging me. Joy overtakes me as I hold her in my arms, knowing that I am able to protect her.

POV of Eric

I look around the house one more time before leaving. I need to find Slate and Riley. It's been a whole day and they still aren't here. Maybe I'll search a house or 2 before I head off. They're probably looking for me already, we're partners right now.

I decide to keep my things here and look through the other houses. I'll come back here to pack up before I head off. I want to be as prepared as I can be.

Drinking the last half of the water left in the bottle, I walk toward the bathroom. Thanks to my running the water for 4 straight hours I have clean drinking water at my disposal. It's great. I fill up my 2 empty bottles and pack one in my bag. I only take a small amount of food, a water bottle and my blow dart set. I don't plan to be gone long but I'd rather be prepared than died.

I set out in search of more supplies and hopefully my alliance. Hopefully they're looking for me and don't think the cannon this morning was mine. I'm sure they'll find me. I'm in the general direction Slate nodded too, admittedly he probably meant the grass where we could hide and people wouldn't suspect it.

Then again no one came looking for me last night, so they probably thought no one would be stupid enough to hide in a house on the first night.

When I reach the door to the first house I cautiously take a step inside. I look around and wonder if anyone is in here. That's when I notice the dust on the floor. There are no footprints in it, but then again the Gamemakers could be toying with me. There could be someone upstairs and if I trust this little detail I could end up dead. Not worth risking. So quietly I take my dart set out of my bag, and then I grab a small rock from just outside the door. Looking around the room I see a tin cup that I can use to check if anyone is here. I take careful aim and toss the rock at the tin, knocking it off the corner of the table. I kneel down behind the seat and wait to see if anyone comes down the stairs. Silence fills the room after the ringing stops.

I wait a few minutes and still nothing. I must be alone; surely they would have come down if they heard that. Even if they were scared I would rather died trying to live then die hiding. Still I better be cautious, there could be someone nearby that heard the ringing.

Slowly I make my way into the house step by step watching for anything strange. Not noticing anything out of the ordinary I let my guard down just enough to feel comfortable scavenging.

I walk into the kitchen knowing that food is a major priority right now. Yeah I might have enough for now, but what about later? Opening every cabinet and drawer I can find, I come up empty handed. I only have 2 cabinets left in this room and then I need to search somewhere else. When I open the 2nd to last cabinet I am thrilled to find some dried fish and a loaf of stale bread. Who cares if it's hard, it's still food. Quickly I stuff it in my bag and grab the tin cup off the floor.

Moving on to the sitting room I find cloth rags that I throw in my bag knowing I could find a use for them later.

The bathroom is the last room down here so I decide I should search that next. I find a small bottle of pain pills and some sort of wrap. This will come in handy.

As I make my way up the stairs memories of my old life flash through my head. I think about how my sister and I would slide down the stair rails. Mother hated that. She always thought we were going to hurt ourselves. But of course she was right. One day we were fooling around and Candice's leg got stuck, but I didn't notice. So when I came down the rail and knocked her off, we heard a loud crack. Accidently we broke her leg; luckily it was already after the reaping so we didn't have to panic. When the reapings came along the next year she was practically as good as new. I was so grateful because I had a feeling if she wasn't better she would have been reaped.

As I reach to the top of the stairs I take a moment and run my hand along the worn wooden rail. It reminded me a lot like the one we have at home and gave me a sense of hope that I'll be back there. Once again taking caution, I make my way towards the first bedroom.

When I open the door I find I turned over bed frame and no mattress. This spokes me a little and I take out my dart set again. I proceed into the room to find nothing worth taking. So I leave.

When I reach the next room I slowly open the door. It creeks a lot and this makes me cringe. I'm not being very sneaky right now. I'm sure anyone right outside of the house could hear this. I find the same scene as in the last one. An upturned frame and a missing mattress, but upon future searching I find a leather looking jacket that looks like it will keep out the wind a lot better than this piece of shit. Without a second thought I stuff it in my bag and look into the connected bathroom. This must have been the master bedroom, nothing grand about it now.

The bathroom doesn't have much, just more of that sweet smelling liquid that I'm still not sure what it is.

Just then I hear the quiet beeping of a sponsor gift. I look out the window to see it hanging off the shutter. Quickly I reach for it and pull it inside. The unmistakable Silver parachute and small box is a sure sign that a tribute is nearby and I don't want anyone knowing I'm here.

Taking a seat of the floor I open it, being careful so not to break anything. When I get it open I see a vial of liquid. I open it and can immediately tell it's the thing I have 2 vials of already. So why are they sending me more? That's when I see the small note. All it says is "Sleeping Syrup. Small Dose, Very Strong.". Oh that must be what it is. I could use this to get rid of Riley and Slate. Make some stew or if we get jam or something, hide it in there and kill them the minute they're out. I had a plan before but now I have a weapon.

POV of Tess

I set out with my bow and sheaths of arrows to check the traps and gather some edible and medicinal plants.

Quietly I walk through the trees, making sure to avoid branches. The wind blowing through the trees has a whistling sound about it. It reminds me of home. I've spent so much time in the woods all of this comes like second nature to me. It feels like home to me. Then again so does a bakeshop.

As I approach the first trap I see that there is nothing on it. Damn! Alright time to check the next one. It's not that far away.

Along the way I find some plant that help heal tracker jacker stings. This is going to come in handy. There are tons of these bushes. So that means there are a lot of nests out here. Crap! Oh well, there's nothing I can do about it, except be prepared. As I walk I continue to grab handfuls of the leaves and stuff them in my pockets. You can never have too much of this. It helps if you run into those pesky oversized poisonous bees.

I reach the next trap to find a rabbit in it. SWEET! This is going to make a nice lunch. I have 2 more traps to check and the fish nets. We could have a feast today and dry the rest of the meat for a few days. Only if we get something in the next few traps though.

Continuing through the makeshift path we made and hid as well as we could I make the turn that loops back towards the lake. The next trap has nothing, but I do gather a handful of berries around it and a bunch of wild onions.

Luckily the last trap has another rabbit in it. This is great. One rabbit can feed 3 people, but it's only enough for one meal. It's not enough to survive on, but 2 mean we have a whole day's worth of food.

Making my way towards the lake I notice a fox hole. I set a trap outside the whole with vines and a bent sapling. If anything still lives here I'll have it by tomorrow night for sure. This is exciting. A fox can feed us for a day or 2, maybe more if we eat light. But I shouldn't get my hopes up. This could be a decoy entrance to the den or even a decoy den.

I approach the lake and step into the bushes for a moment. I look around making sure no one is in sight. I take a large rock and toss it at a patch of dried leafs. It makes a loud enough sound and I wait for a moment. Nothing moves, alright it's safe. I cautiously walk out into the open, and still nothing happens.

Looking out around the lake I remember learning how to swim at the pond in the woods outside district 12. Mom and Aunt Katniss would tell me and my cousins stories about our grandfather. He is the one that taught Aunt Katniss how to hunt, about edible plants and taught both her and mom how to swim. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be so prepared for all this.

When I reach the edge of the lake I walk back towards the end of the arena. There, behind a large rock on the beach is our net. Before reaching down to pull it in a look around a little. I'm still nervous about last night. The careers saw the smoke from out fire and came running for an ambush. Lucky for us I decided to build out camp in the trees. They walked around for hours complaining about how they smell smoke, but can't find the glow from the fire. It took everything I had not to laugh at the confused looks on their faces. So now I need to be on the lookout they were pissed when they finally left and I doubt that they're going to give up after one night. So right before darkness falls the 3 of us will make sure we're in our camp and our fire is reduced to hot embers. We'll periodically feed it to make sure it doesn't go out, but all our cooking will be done before sun down. I don't want to push our luck with staying hidden.

We only have 2 really small fish in the net, but that's better than nothing. I want to make sure we have enough food to last us when we can't hunt. In addition to the fish a found 3 frogs that will be great for now. We can dry the fish and the rabbits now and have something tonight.

I take a few steps into the shallows where I see the shoots of the katniss root. I dig them up and throw them in an empty pocket. I know some people would only hunt for what they need that moment and if they have anything left over to save it for later, but living in the Seam I know that tomorrow might not come if you don't take advantage of today. So while I can hunt and gather and fish I am going to. Before leaving I grab some of the cotton like material off of a few cattail reeds that are scattered along this edge. It gets denser around the back of the lake, but I'd rather not venture back there. I heard some weird noises last night and I don't want to know what it came from.

As I walk back towards the tree line I look back at the lake. It reminds me so much of the life I gave up to protect Rue, but I wouldn't change my decision if I had the chance to. I know I did the right thing, even if it was practically suicide.

I should get back to camp before Finn worries about me. I told him to stay with Angel and that he could check the traps tonight. He reluctantly agreed before I left. If I don't get back soon he might decide to be stupid and come looking for me.

I do love that he worried about me so much though. It makes me feel important in a time where most girls would feel terror and nothing else. He's important to me and it makes me so happy that I am equally important to him. Although it would be much easier if there was nothing between us. Then it wouldn't hurt so much when one of us dies.

**Please review. I love hearing the feedback. **

**Alliances.**

**Careers: Diamond, Titanium, Onyx, & Electra**

**Finn, Angel & Tess**

**Eric, Riley, & Slate (in arena)**

**Onyx & Slate (true alliance)**

**Rose & Elm**

**Scarlet & Crisis**

**Alone: Calla, Ricky & Iris **

**Deaths: (in order of death)**

**Faith (district 6) killed by Finn**

**Joseph (district 11) killed by Slate**

**Garnet (district 10) killed by Diamond**

**Gigot (district 3) killed by Onyx**

**Hazel (district 10) killed by Iris**

**Falon (district 6) killed by Iris **

**Carter (district 5) killed by Iris**

**Injured: **

**Riley – Gash in the back of the left arm from throwing knife.**

**Titanium – Small gash/bruise on the back of the head from club.**

**Calla – Graze mark on right cheek.**

**Arena – If there is a separate bullet that means they are in the same section but in a different spot**

**Mountains:**

**Crisis & Scarlet (in tunnels in "their" mountain)**

**Iris (edge of forest)**

**Forest:**

**Elm & Rose**

**Ricky**

**Tess, Angel & Finn (edge of lake)**

**Iris (edge of mountain range)**

**Lake:**

**Tess, Angel & Finn (edge of forest)**

**Marsh:**

**Field:**

**Calla **

**Slate, Eric & Riley (edge of village)**

**Village:**

**Slate, Eric & Riley (edge of field)**

**Hills:**


	45. Chapter 42 Arena Night 2

**Sorry it's taken so long. I haven't been feeling so good. But I'm starting to feel better so I'm going to start writing again. Enjoy.**

Arena Night Two

POV of Katniss

So far I am very proud of the way Tess has handled things. She knew they would need a fire to cook food and keep warm so she did something no other tribute has done yet. She built a fully functioning and hidden camp in the trees. There is a fire, 3 walls and a roof over their heads. The food and supplies are off the ground and out of reach of everything. Well except those pesky squirrels. I hate those man eating pieces of shit. They look cute a fuzzy and then they try to eat your face and any other body part that is visible. Luckily they haven't run into any yet. I guess the Capitol is amused by them outsmarting the careers, although that joke won't last much longer. I know she spent a lot of time on the shelter, but they shouldn't stay in one place for too long. People will start to get ideas about why they smell smoke but don't see a fire. They're just lucky the girl from one isn't too bright. She stood right under then and even looked up, but didn't figure out anything.

I am impressed with her hunting and gathering skills. She caught some fish, 2 rabbits, a few frogs and got plenty of edible plants and berries. Not to mention finding the leaves that Rue used to save my life. If it wasn't for that brave little girl and her knowledge of tracker jackers I would have died just like Glimmer did.

Seeing Finn and Tess huddled close in their sleeping bag I remember when I found Peeta covered in mud on the river bank. How I cleaned him up and we hid out in the cave for nearly the rest of the games. I denied my feelings for him, thinking it must be because of our situation. That how could I possibly fall in love with anyone at a time like that, but I did. Of course it started out as a ploy to get sponsors, but one day the kisses felt different, and the thought of living in a world without him pained me.

I knew I was falling for him, but I refused to admit it. After all I watched as my mother withered away when she lost my father. Loving someone meant risking becoming her if they died or left. If that happened to me, how would my family survive? Even with mom doing better and being able to take on patients we would never have enough money to buy food or coal. Most of the people that sought her out had little to no money themselves and usually repaid us in goods they made at home. So I thought if I denied it happening it would just go away, but it only grew stronger.

Slowly I let my feelings for him show and soon we were dating. I never thought in a million years I would love someone the way I loved Peeta, the way I still love him. Having him by my side during the victory tour helped me in ways most people could only imagine. Seeing the angry or depressed faces of the families of the tributes that died made living with their deaths even harder, but Peeta stood by me, held my hand and comforted me when the pain become unbearable.

After our first year of being mentors he proposed to me the moment we got home. The thought of marriage was always something that frightened me, but seeing him kneeling before me with a simple ring in his hand made me feel like it would be alright.

I couldn't see our love blossoming but right now, watching them sleep I can see theirs forming. The look in his eyes when he sees she's arrived back safely, the tone in her voice when they talk about their short future. All of Panem can see they're falling in love and everyone is holding their breath waiting to see what's going to happen next. The Capitol is split in 2. One half wants to see this romance grow and thrive, much like mine and Peeta's did. The other half wants to see what will happen if one of them is taken from the other.

Glancing over at Stephan I can see he is struggling to stay awake. I look at the clock and see that our replacements should be here soon. I just hope it's not Peeta. All the memories have made me want to cuddle up close to him before I go to sleep.

When I look towards the door I see Haymitch and Ester walking in chatting. Good they're here. I get up and walk over to Stephan. He's had a long day today and he needs his rest.

"Come on kid. Let's get you back to your room. You look like you could use a rest." I say helping him to stand. He mumbles something unrecognizable and begins walking with me. "Are you okay? You've been really quiet since this morning."

"It was really hard watching her toy with him. Knowing there was nothing I can do to protect him. It reminded me a lot of last year."

"I know it did. I could see it written all over your face. I was kind of proud of you for sticking around. It showed a lot of courage.

"Thanks." He paused for a moment. "How do you do it? Every year watching 23 teens get killed after going through it yourself?"

"Because I know that the 2 from my district need help, and if I don't do it not only does my family get punished, but those poor kids have no one on their side. They have no one to give them a chance to make it out alive. And I know how important it is to have help. Peeta saved me when I was a kid and Haymitch kept both me and Peeta alive. So now it's my job to help the next generation, hoping that someday this madness will stop."

POV of Slate

I'm so glad we found Eric. He was wandering around the village collecting supplies. He got a lot of stuff that could help us. He has blankets, food, water, medical supplies. This is great.

"Alright we should find a building in the back of the village, search it for more supplies and see what we have." I suggest.

"I found out that each day around noon and midnight the houses restock themselves and the dust comes back, so no point trying to clean. But it's not always the same stuff. One day it will have water and fresh fruit and blankets, the next it has nothing but slug for water and moldy bread."

"Thanks for the heads up." Riley says as we walk towards the back of the village. "How did you survive on your own? You're pretty strong, but you don't have much survival skills." She laughs a bit. "No offence."

"I hid in the shadows and watched the ones I weren't in. I made sure to watch my back." Eric replied.

"Well we found you wandering around, pretty easy to spot." I laugh.

"I was going to look for you guys soon. I just wanted to check things out first." We keep walking until we find the large house in the back. It looks like a mansion. We approach it cautiously knowing that anyone can be here.

"I'll go first." I say pulling out my sword and slowly opening the heavy wooden door. The creaking is loud and all of us hold our breath thinking someone is going to hear it. I look back to see Eric frantically looking around to make sure no one is around.

Slowly we walk into the house and close the door behind us. "I'll check the kitchen. In a house like this we can expect to find a lot of stuff, as long as we came at the right time." Eric says.

"I'll check the bathrooms down here." Riley says.

"So I'll wander around the other rooms down here looking for anything we can take. Oh and Eric if you find cups, pots, pans, spoons, anything really grab them. We'll sort through it later. Riley if you find any kind of bags it would come in handy. I have these we can fill too." I say pulling 2 empty bags out of the front pocket, I hand one to each of them. "Fill it until they can't fit anything else in them."

"Okay." Riley says with a smile. We head off in our separate directions. As I walk into the dining room I notice it is filled with lavish decorations and hand crafted furniture. Making my way to the hutch that will hopefully have some bowls and spoons I notice that most of this stuff looks like it came from before the dark days. That's interesting. I wonder if they saved those things to use it in the different arenas or if they just use their technology to age it.

I find a couple spoons and 2 chipped bowls. Okay 2 isn't exactly the right amount but it's better than nothing. Digging through a couple more drawers I find plenty of broken or rusted things, but not much salvageable stuff. I do grab some cloth placemats and napkins. This will be great in a pinch.

I decide that I should look in the next room while I wait for Eric and Riley to be done. I don't find anything in the sitting room so I go into the study. In there I find walls of tattered, moldy books. In the center of the room there is a desk, the wood is worn and the papers on it have yellowed from age.

I search the drawers and find a pair of glasses. These can be used as a signaling device, or to make a fire. That was a lucky find. I hear rustling by the door, and quickly I spin around with sword in hand.

"Easy there killer, it's just me." Riley laughs.

"You shouldn't sneak up on me like that?"

"Why? We're going to have to kill each other at some point. If we stay wary of each other then it won't hurt when the time comes."

"I guess. But we should be able to trust each other. If we can't what keeps me from killing you right now?"

"Nothing." She laughs as she turns around and walks away. She's a weird one, but she's right. Trust only makes things harder in the end. I should keep an eye on here. She seems like the type to kill you in your sleep. I'll have to get her before she gets me.

In a twisted way she reminds me of how Onyx acts with everyone else here; hard, cold and ruthless. But I know the real her, she's sweet, caring and tender. I hope she's okay. They're probably wondering where I am back at the camp. I snuck out in the middle of the night and grabbed the backpacks Onyx and I hid while the others were searching for the tributes that lit the fire. I met them there just before they started to get suspicious and left once everyone went to sleep. I said goodbye to Onyx and promised her that if we both survive to see each other again I'll give her that kiss she's dying for.

POV of Skylar

Electra, Diamond and Titanium are asking Onyx if she knows when Slate is going to be back. So far they haven't realized he left them for a different alliance and they have no clue Onyx had something to do with it. I want to tell Electra in a note but the Capitol would probably intercept it. Having an alliance within an alliance that is also faking another alliance is good entertainment and they don't want it to end yet. I can only imagine the buzz this has created.

"Sky are you coming?" Trin asks, putting her hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah. I'm starving." I reply. I get out and pass Kelven. "Do you want me to bring you something?"

"Sure. Anything is good." Kel says. He is still pretty upset about Carter. He was technically Kel's tribute and the fact that he died so early in the game has taken a toll on him.

"He's going to be fine Sky. He always is." Trin says pulling me back to reality.

"I guess. But he hates seeing these kids die and he really thought he could help Carter." I thought he could too. I would have been happy if either of them district 5 tributes won. Then I could retire. Now all my hopes of retirement rest on Electra.

"I know, but it's not his fault he ran into Iris. Besides, no one knew she was that deranged or skilled."

"Still, Kel has been doing this almost as long as I have and he hasn't brought a single tribute home. That takes a toll on you after a while."

"I know, but he shouldn't be so hard on himself."

"I don't either." I pause as we step into the elevator. Pressing the number 5 the door closes and we start to shoot up towards our floor. "Do you think Electra could win?"

"I hope so. Then you can retire and that means I am only one step away from retirement myself." Trin smiled. She always has a way to see the bright side in things.

"That's only if she wins. Trin there are a lot of other tributes. I know she's strong, I know she's talented but so are a lot of the others. You saw the girl from 11. She is crazy, and she has a real shot at winning."

"So, but we can help Electra."

"Only so much." Only so much…

POV of Finn

I slip into the sleeping bag next to Tess and pray I don't wake her up.

"What took you so long?" I hear her voice ask softly.

"I was checking on Angel, and putting the fire out." I reply wrapping my arm around her. "Why did you wait up?"

"Because, I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine. You should be resting. I need to stay up to make sure we're safe."

"Then I'll stay up with you. You shouldn't be alone." She says turning around and sitting up. She looks into my eyes and I can tell she is concerned. "Please let me stay up with you." I can see a gleam in her eye reflecting off the left over embers from our fire.

"Fine. You can stay up with me. But tomorrow you need to sleep for a little while."

"What about the traps?" She asks resting her head on my chest. Instinctively I wrap my arms around her and run my fingers through her hair.

"I'll take care of them. But you need your sleep."

"So do you."

"We can take turns tonight if you want. Then we'll both be fine tomorrow."

"I guess that will work." She says nuzzling closer to me. "Can we stay up for a while longer? I want to talk to you. We haven't been able to spend much time together since we got here. I miss those late nights in the tower. I miss talking and laughing. I miss us." I can hear sobs swelling up in her throat. She goes silent except for a few choked cries. I pull her closer to me and rock her back and forth.

"I miss it too Tess, I miss seeing your smile, hearing your laugh and knowing I'm the one that made it happen." I can feel a lump grow in my throat and soon it becomes hard to talk. Tears flood down my face and soak her soft hair. Together we cry in our sleeping bag until Tess stops sobbing. She looks up at me with tear filled eyes and smiles a sweet innocent smile.

"I love you Finn." She says, leaning up and kissing me. The kiss is passionate and deep. I kiss her back, just as passionately. My hand travels to the back of her head and hers goes to the back of mine.

I pull away for a moment. "I love you too Tess." Out lips collide again and the passion continues where it left off. I feel a heat inside me rise and grow more intense than I've ever felt before. With each passing moment the burning grows deeper and stretches out, engulfing my entire body. Feeling the heat radiate off of Tess only fuels mine even more. I feel Tess' hands run along my spine, down to the bottom of my shirt. I begin to feel chilled as the lifts the shirt up. Wanting so badly for it to continue I ignore the voice in my head screaming at me to stop. But when she is about to pull my shirt over my shoulders I pull away. "We can't do this Tess. You parents wouldn't want it to happen like this and neither would mine."

"And I'm sure they wouldn't want us to be here either, but we both chose to be." She said as she leant down and started kissing my neck. The fire from before begins to burn in my chest again and shivers travel down my spine, but I still push away. But this time when I look at Tess I don't see a turned on teenage girl, I see a girl that is scared and wants something of a normal life in a place where she's forced to be someone she's not. Gently I place my hand under her chin and kiss her tenderly. I feel tears hit my hand as they stream down her face.

"Tess, I love you more than I thought I would ever love anyone, and I know it sucks we had to meet this way. I honestly wish that I hadn't met you only because that would mean you were safe." I pause trying to hold back tears myself. "But I'm glad I got to know you. And with that said I can't let you do this. I know it's not because you want to, not really. It's because for a moment it would let you get away from the world we're in now." I pause, looking deep in her eyes. I can tell the thought has crossed her mind before, but not like this, more serious. "Believe me I want to, and right now I want to more than I can explain. The problem is if it does happen I want it to be special. Not an escape from reality. I want it to mean something for both of us and I don't want one or both of us to regret the way it happened." With that I lean down and kiss her again. "Now get some rest. I'll be wanting my turn in a few hours." I laugh and this makes her smile. It's nice to see that beautiful smile and know it's real.

POV of Rose

I reach the edge of the woods and I can hear shouting in the distance. It sounds like 2 girls, its probably the Careers. That's good. I already have a distraction. If I play my cards right I can get in and out before they even know I was there.

Walking back towards the stream that cuts through the woods I rub mud all over my exposed body. Not only will this keep the bugs away, but I'll be able to sneak into the camp without standing out too much.

"I want you to stay here. I can go much faster if I don't have to worry about you too." I say to Elm.

"Fine, but if something goes wrong please scream my name. I'll come help you."

"Only if I think we both could make it out alive. If you hear my voice screaming but you don't hear your name stay where you are. Okay?"

"No."

"Promise me, please."

"Why?"

"Because I want you to win if there is no chance for me, to be honest sometimes I have mixed feelings about who wins between the two of us."

"What do you mean?"

"Just stay here. Please." I look deep into his eyes and I can tell something clicks.

"Fine." I pause. "I'll wait here, but seriously call me if something goes wrong. We're a team."

"Alright I will." I smile and give him a hug. "If I don't come back, make sure you win for the both of us." I laugh.

"I promise. But it won't come to that because you'll be fine. I bet you make it out of there without a scratch."

We smile at each other. "I'll be back soon." I say as I turn to head back towards the tree line. "In a few minutes I want you to make your way towards the edge of the trees. If I need your help I want to make sure you can hear me." He nods, and with that taken care of I run off.

It isn't long before I reach the bushes I have been using to spy on the career camp. Slowly I walk through the bushes towards the mountains. I want to be able to approach undetected. So I'm going to come in behind their tents. Hopefully they will be too busy fighting or watching the fight to notice me slip into the camp, grab the weapons Elm and I desperately need and maybe a backpack of food. I'm not entirely sure what I'll grab besides the weapons. It depends on if I get caught, where everything is and if I can get it safely.

Once I can only see the glow of the fire through the cracks between the tents I know I have walked far enough. I run as fast as I can across the empty field praying no one sees me. I'm in the open and the careers are the least of my problem now. For all I know every tribute could be watching me, waiting for me to think I'm safe or for me to get into the camp and then make some sort of noise to get me caught. That is the coward's way of getting rid of the competition. I've seen it happen before. I just hope this group has more pride than that.

As I finally reach the camp I can hear the voices more clearly. It's Diamond and Onyx. They're fighting about Slate.

"He left last night Onyx, he said he would be back by morning and he was nowhere to be found. We waited all day today thinking he could have just gotten lost in the dark, but he's still not here." Diamond says.

"What are you implying?" Onyx asks raising her tone. Cautiously I creep between the tents, edging myself closer to the stack of supplies.

"Maybe he's not coming back. Maybe he betrayed us. His picture wasn't up in the sky yet."

"There was a cannon this morning, and we all slept through the anthem so we could be well rested to search for tributes tonight."

"But Electra said she woke up for a moment to see who the cannon was for. She thought it could be Slate and said it was the boy from her district." I can tell she's getting frustrated with Onyx, but she's trying to keep calm. Onyx on the other hand is hiding something. This is interesting. I need to know more.

"Maybe he got injured. Maybe he killed the boy from 5 and got hurt in the process. He could be in the woods somewhere bleeding to death."

"He would have tried to get back here. He is a lot stronger than that other boy, if he got hurt he wouldn't be debilitated. He could have gotten back no problem."

"What if it was an ambush?"

"Then there would have been at least 2 cannons. If Slate was able to get injured bad enough to not make it back to camp than he could have easily been killed or he would have killed both of them." Diamond paused. "Maybe he disserted us."

"SLATE WOULD NEVER DO THAT!" Onyx screamed.

"How do you know that?" Diamond screamed back.

"I just do." Her voice goes quiet. "Can we give him one more day? Please." Depression creeps across her face. Finally I reach the pile of supplies and grab the axe I had been eyeing earlier. Some of the other things shift a little and I begin to panic. I hold my breath. Everything settles and it doesn't look like they noticed a thing.

"Give it a rest! He's not coming back and the more you stall for him the guiltier you look!"Diamond screams. Electra and Titanium come out of the tent to my far right and I freeze, ducking down low so that they don't see me.

"Will you 2 just fight it out already? This is getting old." Electra snaps. There is a moment of silence before Diamond slugs Onyx in the face. Silence takes over the camp again as Onyx clutches her mouth. When she finally looks back at Diamond rage is written all over her face. She spits blood and jumps on Diamond. This is will a great time to get out of here.

**Please review.**

**Alliances.**

**Careers: Diamond, Titanium, Onyx, & Electra**

**Finn, Angel & Tess**

**Eric, Riley, & Slate (in arena)**

**Onyx & Slate (true alliance)**

**Rose & Elm**

**Scarlet & Crisis**

**Alone: Calla, Ricky & Iris **

**Deaths: (in order of death)**

**Faith (district 6) killed by Finn**

**Joseph (district 11) killed by Slate**

**Garnet (district 10) killed by Diamond**

**Gigot (district 3) killed by Onyx**

**Hazel (district 10) killed by Iris**

**Falon (district 6) killed by Iris **

**Carter (district 5) killed by Iris**

**Injured: **

**Riley – Gash in the back of the left arm from throwing knife. Starting to get infected.**

**Titanium – Small gash/bruise on the back of the head from club. Healing.**

**Calla – Graze mark on right cheek. Almost healed.**

**Diamond – Busted knuckles, bloody scalp.**

**Onyx – Black eye & split lip.**

**Arena – If there is a separate bullet that means they are in the same section but in a different spot**

**Mountains:**

**Crisis & Scarlet (in tunnels in "their" mountain)**

**Iris (edge of forest)**

**Forest:**

**Elm & Rose**

**Ricky**

**Tess, Angel & Finn (edge of lake)**

**Iris (edge of mountain range)**

**Lake:**

**Tess, Angel & Finn (edge of forest)**

**Marsh:**

**Field:**

**Calla **

**Slate, Eric & Riley (edge of village)**

**Village:**

**Slate, Eric & Riley (edge of field)**

**Hills:**


	46. Chapter 43 Arena Day 3

**First chapter is about Katniss and Peeta. I know some of you have been on "Peeniss" withdrawal (sounds so weird lol) so I thought it would be a good idea to give them a little time even though they aren't the main focus in this fanfic. I hope this holds everyone over until the next time. Enjoy. **

**Spoiler: This chapter is going to have a sex scene, so if you are uncomfortable reading those you might want to skip over the second half of Peeta's POV. **

Arena Day Three

POV of Peeta

My dream fades into black as I start to wake up. I open my eyes and see Katniss lying next to me. Rolling over, I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her close to me. She moans a little and I know she's starting to wake up to. I lean my head down to her ear and whisper. "Good morning sleeping beauty." She moans again resisting waking up. I laugh a little before sliding my arms under her and lifting her into the air.

"What the…?" She squeals. She turns to me glaring. "Peeta, put…me…down." She says in a fierce tone. This only makes me laugh more.

"As you wish." I say dropping her back onto the bed and rolling on top of her. "Now you're trapped." She tries to struggle and this only traps her more. Before I know it I'm laughing hysterically and she can no longer move.

"Peeta this isn't funny." She says trying to keep a straight face, but soon she is laughing with me. My sides begin to hurt and I roll off of Katniss and lay there next to her trying to calm down.

Eventually I regain control over myself and I stop laughing. "How did you sleep?"

"Not so good. I kept thinking about Tess." She said as she scooted over to me and rested her head on my chest. Instinctively I pull my arm around her and pulled her close to me.

"Same here." I pause for a moment. "But she'll be okay. She's strong."

"Then what is going to happen to Stephan? That means his friend and his friend's little sister will have to die."

"I know it will be hard, but we survived it."

"But we didn't lose each other. We had someone to lean on."

I fall silent for a moment. I know she's right, but I don't want to think about it. I know there have been victors that killed themselves before and the thought that my nephew could be next terrifies me. "Hunny, let's not think about things like this. We will cross that bridge when we get to it, but until then we should enjoy the time where Tess and Finn are together and happy. Who knows, Snow might let another couple win. It would show his merciful side and you know how he enjoys flaunting that." I half laugh. Sadly my wishful thinking doesn't cheer her up. "Why don't we stay here for a while? Have a late breakfast and stay in bed. We don't get much alone time during the games and it would be nice to spend the morning with you."

"What about Tess, or Stephan?"

"Haymitch is on watch, he's sober and the girls from 4 are there too. Besides we have half the victors watching over her and if anything happens you know Effie will be banging on the door."

"I guess…" Not letting her finish I placed my hand under her chin and pull her close. As our lips touch I feel her body relax and fall into my arms. I part my lips ever so slightly, making the kiss more sensual and passionate. Her hands travel around my waist and up my back, sending shivers down my spine.

A burning sensation overwhelms me, overtaking my entire body and making my hunger for her touch stronger than ever. I pull her closer, deepening our kiss and leaving no space between our bodies. My tongue explores her mouth, entangling with hers and increasing the flames burning inside me.

Placing my hand on the back of her head I laid her down on her back, climbing on top of her. I kiss her lips, than her cheek and slowly moved down towards her neck. Kissing and biting gently, feeling her hands clutching my back. Gently my fingers brushed against her sides and down to the bottom of her nightgown. Lifting the gown I feel her body tense as I remove her clothing. Kneeling beside her I pull the gown over her head. I kiss her, crawling over her. Slowly she lowers her body back down onto the bed.

Fiercely she pushes me over and kneels over me. I smile up at her as her hand make their way towards me pants. As she slips them down my legs she lets her hands brush against them, causing me to become aroused.

I look up at her beautiful body. Her soft skin glistening in the light, her most intimate parts covered by thin fabric, adding to the mystery and intimacy of the moment. I reach around the back of her and fumble with the clasp on her bra.

Finally I unhook it and it slides down her arms and onto my stomach. I look up at her face to see her cheeks tins a pale red. It makes me smile seeing how after 20 years exposing herself still causes her to blush. Taking her bra and tossing it to the side I reach up and gently take her cheeks into my hands.

Slowly I pull her back down on top of me and give her a tender kiss. "You are so beautiful." I whisper, gazing deep into her eyes. Carefully she kneels again and then makes her way off the bed. I turn onto my side to look at her.

She shoots me a sexy smile and bites her lip. Her hand running down her sides, making their way towards her panties, the closer she gets the more aroused I get. As her hands reach the edge of her panties I am fully erect. She glances over and smiles when she notices it.

Teasing me she slowly slides her panties down, inch by inch, shifting her weight from side to side. I bite my lip in anticipation. The moment her panties hit the floor I pull her back onto the bed with me and strip my boxers off.

Getting on top of her I kiss her neck. Slowly I kiss down her chest, nibbling and running my tongue along her breasts. As I make my way down her torso I can feel her body tense bellow me.

Suddenly she pulls me back towards her. When our faces are level again she kisses me with more passion than she has since we got here. I press my body against hers and I immediately want more. I press my hard cock against her wet pussy. Her eyes widen and her nails dig into my back. This turns me on even more and I press a little harder, slowly entering her.

As I slowly go deeper in her, all I want to do is go as hard and fast as I can. But I rest the urge knowing how bad we both need this moment. Once I am all the way in a start to pull out and her nails go deeper into my back. With the combined feeling of pleasure and pain I arch my back and quickly go back in.

Gradually I increase my speed with each trust. Every thrust releases a moan from Katniss that only fuels me to keep going.

The faster I go the closer I get to climaxing and the closer I get her. I press my lips against hers kissing her the way she had kissed me only moments before.

Moans escape both of us as we kiss and make love. She wraps her legs around my waist and pulls herself up on me, causing me to go deeper. A loud groan passes my lips and I can no longer control myself.

I grab her hips and sit up, pulling her on top of my lap. Keeping my hands on her hip I lift her up and pull her back down onto my growing dick.

Katniss is no longer moaning she is screaming. If Effie is still on the floor she now knows what we're doing. Sweat is running down my back and dripping off my face. I pull Katniss close to me as I climax. I can feel her trembling against me.

Gently I lay her back on the bed and lie-down next to her. I open my arms and she cuddles up to me, laying her head on my chest.

"That…was…amazing." She pants, and all I can do is nod in agreement. I kiss her forehead and get up. "Where are you going?"

"To get us some robes and order us breakfast." I smile. She smiles back at me. We needed this. We were both way too stressed and now I feel like all of my stress is gone.

POV of Rose

"Alright, before the Careers start hunting we need to get some berries and stuff." I say to Elm.

"Okay." He replies, I can tell he's tired. I kept him up most the night.

"If you find a high branch that can support you, go ahead and sleep for a little while longer."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, both of us don't need to be searching."

"Okay. I'll be up in that tree." He says pointing to a large pine. That wouldn't be my first choice, but then again it's dense enough to hide his if anyone comes around.

"Alright. I'll be back soon." I take off to check near the river. A lot of edible plants grow near fresh water so that's my best bet right now.

When I reach the stream I see some shoots that the kids from 12 always gather around water. I know they're edible so I pick a handful of them. I put them in my backpack and continue down the stream.

I find what look like mussels clinging to a large rock. That's weird, I learned a little about these during training but I thought they were mainly found in the ocean. I think back to when I was reading about them and recall something about them sometimes being found in shallow freshwater streams and rivers. Sweet, this will be a nice change from dried meat and fruit. I take a flat rock and use it to chisel the mussels off of the rock. I get about 10 of them before I decide I have enough for today.

I walk down the stream for a little while when I see something move out of the corner of my eye. But when I look there is nothing there. I continue walking and I see it again. This time I kneel at the edge and turn over a small rock. I see a small lobster like creature. I quickly grab it and put it in my bag. I take a piece of cloth out and dampen it in the stream, and place it in the pocket with the mussels and the small lobster. I plan on finding more of those lobster things. With these and the root things we can make a stew and eat pretty well tonight.

As I make my way down the stream I find a few more and a couple of small fish. My shirt it soaked from using it as a net to catch the fish, but it's a refreshing change from the heat.

I take a few steps into the trees and start searching for wild onions and berries. While I walk I take handfuls of pine needs to help favor the broth. This is probably going to be the best we eat the whole time here, unless our traps catch something. I doubt that though. I'm not very good at making them or hiding them. I'm sure even an idiot could find and avoid it. But apparently I'm good at fishing and gathering so maybe that will save us.

I still need to figure out how to find that girl from 12. She's one of my biggest threats and I need to get rid of her. But in order to beat her I need to break her, and the best way to do that is kill that little girl from 4. She volunteered for her little cousin and she babied Angel the whole time we were in training.

So far the plan is to find them and kill the girl. Once Tess is weak I can strike her down. All I have to worry about is Finn.

POV of Crystal

"What the fuck does he think he is doing?" I scream at Chaos.

"Playing the game, what does it look like?" He yells back.

"Did you know he was going to do this?"

"So what if I did? He's my tribute and I support any decision he makes that could better his chances."

"How is this going to better his chances? Now he's got 4 people after him."

"And he has 2 other allies, and who knows Onyx could end up siding with her district or be pissed that he turned on the Careers and go after him with the rest. So she's a wild card. No one can guess what's going on in her mind."

"He turned his back on the strongest alliance…"

"Not this year. There are a lot of strong players that aren't Careers so the winner could be anyone." He interrupts me.

"Still our districts train for this. If anyone deserves to win this it's the Careers."

"Deserving? You want to talk deserving. What about the boy from 4 that volunteered to protect his sister? Or the girl from 12 that took her cousin's place? Those 2, they're deserving because they are here for a reason. Not to kill, not to become famous or rich, but to take care of loved ones. So don't talk to be about deserving you self entitled bitch!" He screams in my face before storming off.

What was that about? He doesn't even sound like he was a Career; he sounds like one of the whinny victors from one of the other districts. What is his problem?

"I hate that guy!" I scream and storm off myself. I enter the elevator and slam the number 1 button. Leaning against the wall I wait the few seconds to go from the 2nd to the 1st floor. "Chaos knew about it the whole time. It was a plan from day one! This is bullshit!"

"Crystal calm down. We still have 4 Careers without him. And they're all strong." Sheen says.

"He betrayed us and you're fine with it?"

"It's a strategy, not a good one but a strategy none the less." Nolan says.

"You're both siding with him! I can't believe you!" I scream and storm off towards my room. I can't believe this. Everyone has gone crazy! No one understands how bad this is. We lost one of our key tributes, and Chaos has picked a kid over our friendships. That's not right. I know he's supposed to try to make sure he has a victor, but we're friends. He should have at least trusted us to tell us. Even though I would have probably found a way to tell Diamond and Titanium, but that's beside the point.

So I guess trusting me wouldn't have been the best idea to keep Slate safe, but why would he want to? He's a traitor. He abandoned his district partner and his alliance. He deserves to die, and I hope it's at the hands of Onyx. That would be justice. After all he put her life at risk. The others might think she has something to do with it and go after her. It would be a shame if she died for something Slate did. That wouldn't be fair.

POV of Eric

"Where are we going to go? We can't stay here the whole time. Eventually someone will come looking this way." I say. I'm starting to get nervous because I've been here for 3 days now and not many people stay in the same place for that long.

"Well right now we're good. We'll leave in a few days, earlier if we need to, but we have it made right here. The houses give us new supplies twice a day and we have plenty of shelter. All we need to do if it starts to rain is head into one of the houses." Slate says. I hate how he just takes charge over everything. I recruited him, he should show me some respect. If it wasn't for me he would be alone out here or stuck with a group that would probably slaughter him in his sleep.

"Fine, but remember who found all this. If it wasn't for me you probably would have passed this place by."

"Well you wouldn't have found it either if you had gone where you were supposed to." He snapped.

"Boys, stop!" Riley yells. "There is no point fighting. Yeah Eric found us the honey hole of supplies and yeah he didn't go where Slate wanted him too, but remember I asked you if you wanted to join up kid. And Slate Eric asked you. But Eric he has been training for this his whole life. So show each other some respect. You don't have to like each other, hell, hate each other for all I care. But the yelling is going to get us found and I don't want to die because you 2 want to fight."

I guess she's right. We need to get along enough to not get in a screaming match. If we do that again the Careers are going to find us and then we're screwed. Slater and Riley are strong, but if they all come we're outnumbered.

"You're right Riley. Slate I'm sorry. It's just you bark orders and ignore my suggestions. It makes me wonder if this was a good idea."

"I'm not trying to make you feel ignored. I only want us to survive and thrive if possible."

"That's better." Riley says. "Now shut up and look for more supplies while I make something for lunch."

So as Slate and I walk back into the village in silence I can't help but wonder where I would be if it wasn't for Riley. I was alone before she approached me in the training center and she gave me the courage to talk to Slate.

"Riley is who keeps this alliance together, huh." I say as we approach the first house.

"Yeah, and she's the one that keeps it realistic. She reminded me that if we form friendships it's going to be harder if it comes down to killing each other."

"She's really smart. But I know once the numbers dwindle down, she's the one to watch at night. I wouldn't put it past her to kill us off in our sleep."

"Let's make a deal."

"Okay."

"One of us will always stay up with her. Never let her be awake alone."

"Deal." We both laugh a little and push our way through the door.

POV of Finn

"This dried rabbit is amazing Tess." Angel says beaming.

"Thanks Angel, you're so sweet." Tess replies. She's so great with Angel. It's a shame we're all here together. If not I could see myself being with Tess for a long time.

"Have you and Finn started dating? I know you like each other."

"Angel its complicated. We're in the arena. It's not like we can have a life together." I say. Hearing it out loud gives me a pain in my chest. I hate thinking about how our time together is going to come to an end.

"But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the time you do have."

"We don't need to put a label on it to enjoy our time together." Tess says rubbing the top of Angel's head. I can't help but smile seeing how well they get along.

"Well I know Finn wants to sacrifice himself for me, and I know that you want to see your family so it might come down to the 2 of you fighting and whoever wins determines my fate…but I'd like to think of you as my sister either way. It would be less scary dying at the hands of someone I know loves me." Tears flood out her eyes and she is visibly having a hard time controlling herself. "I'm….sorry….I just…hate the…thought of…what has…to happen…" She chokes out between sobs.

Tess puts her piece of rabbit down and takes Angel into her arms. I know how Angel feels. The thought tares me apart too. I love Tess more than I thought I would ever love anyone and now I have to kill her, watch her die because of someone else or have her be the last person I see as I die and know that Angel will be joining me shortly.

A single tear escapes my eye as I think about the inevitable.

"Are you okay Finn?" Tess asks as she places her hand on mine.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I say turning my hand over and holding hers. I squeeze it tight, letting her know that the thought of living without her makes me really upset. She nods knowing what I mean and squeezes back. "I love you girls."

"I love you too Finn." Angel says diving at me with her arms outstretched. I let go of Tess' hand and hug Angel as tight as I can without hurting her.

"I love you." Tess says softly as she gets up and puts the last of the rabbit away. "I'll go check the traps if you want."

"No, you've been doing that a lot lately. I'll do it."

"Can I go?" Angel asks. "I'm getting bored having to stay in the tree all the time."

"Not this time Angel." I say calmly as I get up. I grab a small backpack, a dagger, a bottle of water and my trident. "Maybe next time."

"You can go with me from now on." Tess says smiling.

"Okay." Angel says. She seems really excited. "Is that okay Finn?"

"If Tess wants the help I'm in no position to say no." This is good. Angel has gotten bored sitting here for 3 days not doing anything. But I'm afraid of her leaving camp. I mean right now she is as safe as she can be here, but that is only true if she stays put. The minute she leaves she's vulnerable.

**Sorry about the delay. I hope you liked the chapter though. Please review.**

**Alliances.**

**Careers: Diamond, Titanium, Onyx, & Electra**

**Finn, Angel & Tess**

**Eric, Riley, & Slate (in arena)**

**Onyx & Slate (true alliance)**

**Rose & Elm**

**Scarlet & Crisis**

**Alone: Calla, Ricky & Iris **

**Deaths: (in order of death)**

**Faith (district 6) killed by Finn**

**Joseph (district 11) killed by Slate**

**Garnet (district 10) killed by Diamond**

**Gigot (district 3) killed by Onyx**

**Hazel (district 10) killed by Iris**

**Falon (district 6) killed by Iris **

**Carter (district 5) killed by Iris**

**Injured: **

**Riley – Gash in the back of the left arm from throwing knife. Starting to get infected.**

**Titanium – Small gash/bruise on the back of the head from club. Almost healed. **

**Diamond – Busted knuckles, bloody scalp.**

**Onyx – Black eye & split lip.**

**Arena – If there is a separate bullet that means they are in the same section but in a different spot**

**Mountains:**

**Crisis & Scarlet (in tunnels in "their" mountain)**

**Iris (edge of forest)**

**Forest:**

**Elm & Rose**

**Ricky**

**Tess, Angel & Finn (edge of lake)**

**Iris (edge of mountain range)**

**Lake:**

**Tess, Angel & Finn (edge of forest)**

**Marsh:**

**Field:**

**Calla **

**Slate, Eric & Riley (edge of village)**

**Village:**

**Slate, Eric & Riley (edge of field)**

**Hills:**


	47. Chapter 44 Arena Night 3

**WRITER'S BLOCK SUCKS! But the block finally cleared and now I'm ready to write again YAY! I hope you like the chapter. I've worked really hard on it because of the writer's block.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games, a portion of the characters and most of the scenes. They belong to Susan Collins. But a majority of the character, the details and some of the scenes are of my own imagination.**

Arena Night Three

POV of Stephan

My eyes are fighting me to close, but I won't let them. I need to watch Finn and Angel. I need to make sure they're okay.

Slowly I lose focus on the screens as my eyes burn from staring at them all day. I struggle to keep my focus, but little by little my vision becomes blurry as my eyes shut on their own.

_*Flashback begins*_

"Stephan, I'm cold. Can we please start a fire?"

"The Careers will be looking for the smoke or a glow from a fire. I'd rather be cold then dead." I look over at her to see she is shivering. I scoot close to her, put my arms around her shoulder and pull her close to my chest. "I'll keep you warm."

She nuzzles into my chest before looking up at me. "I wish you hadn't volunteered, because now only one of us can go home. If you weren't here then I would have had something to go home to." Tears streamed down her face.

"I know baby, but all I could think about is making sure you were safe. When I heard your name, something came over me and I heard my voice scream I volunteer. But when I saw the sadness on your face, it made me wish I hadn't."

I look down to see she's sound asleep already. Today has been a long day so I don't blame her. I want to get some shut eye too but I can't. Someone needs to be on the lookout.

_*End of Flashback*_

"Stephan are you okay?" A faint voice asks. I open my eyes to look around in a daze. I finally see who was talking to me. It's Ambrosia. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I say rubbing my eyes. I look around the room to see some of the other victors looking at me. Concern is on a lot of their faces, but then my gaze reaches the stations of district 1 and 2. Most of them are snickering at me, all except one, Chaos.

My father told me Chaos wasn't like the other careers. He was more like someone from our district, strong, brave and willing to come into the games, but never for the greed or the urge to kill. Him and my father became close over the years and occasionally he would come to district 4 and fish with me and dad. I never really got to know him too well though. He wasn't much of a talker.

Slowly he stands up and walks over to me. "Let's go. You need some sleep or some coffee." He says picking me up and carrying me out of the room. Still in a daze I don't fight him, I just let him carry me through the hallway and to the elevator. I look up at him to see him focused on where we're going, wherever that is.

"I can walk." I manage to mutter.

He looks down at me. "Just like you could run on only a few hours of sleep?" He replies. His words are sharp and cause me to fall silent for a moment. He lets me down and leans against the wall. "I know you're worried about them. It's tough being a mentor for the first time, and when you know someone in the games, but I could never imagine how it feels to be going through that all at once. But not sleeping, or eating isn't going to save them and it's not going to bring your girlfriend back." My heart stops and for a moment I can't breathe. His words seem to cut deep into me causing me both physical and emotional pain. The hair on my arms and the back of my neck stand on ends and my body feels cold as ice, and for a second all I can see is her face. "I know you miss her, I get it more than you'll ever know, but you have to think about those kids and what's best for them. And that doesn't mean starving yourself and pushing how long you can last without sleep. It means taking care of yourself so if they need something you can help them."

Before I can reply he begins to walk down the hall again. I follow him, knowing I can trust him and knowing ultimately he's right. If I want to bring home a victor I need to stop acting like a scared tribute and act like the victor I am.

POV of Crisis

As the giant Ram charges at me again I drop to the floor and shield my head. I hear Scarlet scream as the Ram targets her and I grab its back legs as I slide out from under it. I pull as hard as I can and the monster drops to the ground.

"Scarlet run!"

"Not without you!" Her voice is quivering and I can tell she's terrified. The beast begins to stand again. There is no time to argue.

"I'll catch up with you! Please, just run!" Fear flickers in her eyes just before she turns around and runs down the tunnel. Before I can regain my footing the angry mutt charges at me and head butts my chest. I hear a loud crack as he collides with me and throws me 10 feet down the tunnel and into the side of it. Small rocks shake loose from the impact.

Holding my ribs I stand up and quickly dodge out of the way of its next charge. Seeing an opening I sprint down the tunnel the way Scarlet went. We knew there was a way out down there, but we weren't sure how far down the tunnel the next opening would be. I can hear the loud stomping from the hooves of the Ram charging after me.

I try to speed up but suddenly I can't see where I'm running. Before I know it the ground was no longer under me and I was falling into a dark whole. I look up to see the grunting animal above me before he turned around and walked away. I can feel my back shredding to pieces as it scrapes against the rough rocky side. I bend my arms and trying to slow myself down. Gritting my teeth as almost every exposed surface of my body is being cut up by jagged rocks all I want to do it scream out in pain. I hold it trying to make sure I don't cause anything else to happen.

Suddenly my feet hit the bottom and the force from me falling pushes my feet in front of me and I land on my ass. I sit there for a moment trying to figure out where I am.

"Crisis!" I hear Scarlet's voice yell out. I look around trying to see where her voice is coming from.

"Where are you?" I yell into the darkness.

"Right here." She says as she steps out of the shadows. I can see she got a little cut up but she doesn't look as bad as I feel. "Oh my god, Crisis you're arms." She says grabbing them. I wince a little.

"They're nothing compared to my back. And I think that thing cracked one of my ribs."

"Well the opening to the tunnel is up this way a little bit." She says, gently helping me up. Seeing me hurt seems to have snapped her into the reality of our situation. She puts her arm under mine and helps me walk down the short, dark tunnel. My legs are sore but I know they'll be fine after I rest them for a little while.

With each breath my chest shoots a sharp pain and its almost crippling. As we reach the opening in the mountain I feel like I'm going to collapse and pass out from the pain.

"Let's just set up camp here. We'll make a fire in the tunnel and put the blanket in front of the opening, like we did before. You sit here. I'll get firewood and find something for food."

"I don't want you going out there alone."

"I'll be fine. You took care of me. Now it's my turn to help you." The determined look in her eyes proved to me there was no point arguing. I can barely move in the condition I'm in and we at least need firewood to keep ourselves warm. Reluctantly I hang my head down and fall silent. My silence gives her the answer she needed and before I know it she's walking off into the thin tree line in front of us.

Slowly I try to take my shirt off, wincing as I lift my arms higher and higher. The pain in my chest becomes almost unbearable by the time I finally get the shirt off. When I look down I see a huge bruise where the Ram's horn hit me. It seems kind of swollen and I become concerned when I gently touch it and it feels really hot.

When Scarlet returns the shock on her face is overwhelming when she sees how bad my arms really are and how bad my chest is. "Turn around. I want to see your back."

"It hurts too much to move." I groan.

"Well we got a new gift. It's a new shirt for you. I was hoping it was medicine."

"If you help me wrap up and then I put on the new shirt my back and chest will be a little protected. And I'm not that worried about my arms."

"I am. You look like hell. Why did you take that thing on by yourself?" She says as she kneels next to me, running cool water over my arms to clean them."

"Because I wanted you to be safe."

POV of Tess

"Finn how is this going to work?" I ask looking up at him from his chest, the glow from the fire illuminating his face and intensifying the haunted look on his face. Slowly he tilts his head down to look at me.

"I don't know Tess. I want to protect both you and Angel."

"But I don't want you to die just so I can live." I say clinging to him. I've never been so happy in my life. But at the same time knowing that our love could never last haunts my days and nights. Every thought is consumed with contradictory feelings about being here. I know that in order to see my family again I have to win. But then again winning means killing or watching Finn and Angel be killed. My heart tells me I can't do it while my brain says I can. I really don't know what is going to happen.

He pulls me in closer. "And I don't want to live knowing you and my sister are dead. Tess meeting you was the most amazing thing to ever happen to me, yet when I hear footsteps it reminds me that meeting the girl of my dreams going into the games is the worst thing that could have happened. I fell in love with a girl I can never be with."

"Finn I feel the same way. I love you so much, and I wish there was a way to be together." I lean up and kiss him. The kiss starts out tender and sweet but quickly escalates to something more passionate. It feels like electricity is coursing through my body as Finn's tongue dances around mine.

Slowly he pulls away. "I still think we shouldn't let this go any farther. It will just make one more complication to deal with in the end." He kisses my forehead and pulls me close again. The warmth from his body radiates into me and helps put me at ease.

I look over at Angel who is sleeping a few feet away from us. "What are we going to do about Angel? You want her to win, but I want to go home so that means she has to die. I know before we had a plan, but how can we follow through with fighting to the death between the 2 of us now? I could never hurt you."

"I don't know, I really don't know." He pauses for a moment. "I guess it's time to wake Angel up so one of us can get some sleep."

"Let her sleep. I'll take watch. You get some rest. I'm not really tired anyway."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'll wake you if I hear anything suspicious."

"Alright then. Goodnight Tess." He kisses me softly. He slips down into the sleeping bag and quietly goes to sleep.

Without Finn talking to me I can hear all the sounds of the arena. Crickets chirp underneath us, and small nocturnal animals scurry around rustling the fallen leaves and dried branches on the ground.

Its eerie sitting up alone, with only the faint light from the embers to keep me company. I glance over and Angel and feel guilty for protecting her knowing that one day I might be the one she needs protection from. I know this shouldn't bother me, but it does. The short amount of time we've spent together has made me grow attached to her smile, her laugh and the brightness she brings into every situation. My life is going to be really dark once she's gone.

POV of Katniss

Haymitch comes in and takes a plate; he volunteered to take watch during dinner.

"Haymitch wait up I'll join you." Chaff says walking over to him and grabbing a plate.

"I'll come too." Ester says.

"Count me in." Blight chimes in.

"I guess we'll be having a party of our own." Haymitch laughs. "Who's bringing the booze?" I glare at him. "I'm kidding…well sort of."

"Haymitch, remember it's your niece in there too." Peeta says calmly as he places a hand on my shoulder signaling me to calm down myself. I take a deep breath trying to do as he wants, but it's not working.

"You promised Tess you'd stay sober on your shifts!" I scream.

"I said I was kidding didn't I?" He screamed back. The 2 of us glared at each other, both getting more irritated with the sight of the other.

"Remember I'm not afraid to attack you. It's happened before."

"Bring it on sweetheart." He says putting his plate down. I stand up with my hands still on the table. I slowly inch my hand towards the knife to my left.

"Both of you stop it. We're all stressed but there is no need for violence." Effie steps in. Our glares switch to her, but by now she's used to us and this doesn't faze her. As her face stays cold and serious, Haymitch and I lose it and begin to laugh uncontrollably.

The tension in the room melts away as the 2 people with the biggest tempers turn red in the face from laughter instead of rage.

"We should get going. We shouldn't leave the stations unattended for too long." Ester says. Haymitch picks his plate back up and goes down the line of food tables picking what he wants. As soon as all 4 of them have their food they make their way to the elevator and head down towards the control room.

The rest of us sit quietly at our seats and wait for the first course to be served.

I think back to the first time I sat at this table and how disgusted I was to be served by victims of the Capitol's cruel form of punishment for wanting to live a free life. The moment our eyes met and I recognized her I had a sick feeling about not helping her that day in the woods. I know to this day that if I had tried I would have ended up like her or worse the guy she was with.

Nightmares of that night haunted me again from that moment on, but thankfully they faded as her and I became close friends with our silent conversations and the support she gave me after I won. Now I enjoy coming here to see her. Although I wish it was under better circumstances.

The door to the kitchen swings open and what could be considered a small army of avox servants walk out carrying platters with silver dome covers. As if she knew I was thinking about her my dear friend stands to the side of me and places the platter in front of me.

In unison the covers are lifted to show the elegant salad before us. I turn my head and mouthed thank you before she leaves to wait the kitchen for the next course. The thought of her waiting on me no longer causes me discomfort because I do not see her as someone beneath me like the Capitol citizens do. I see it as my friend doing her job, and a great way to see her in-between the times we catch up in my room. Peeta thought it was weird at first but soon saw how much her friendship meant to me and became at ease about the situation.

Quietly we all begin to eat, but of course my favorite loud mouth can't stand the silence and Bursts out.

"So Peeta, how is Tess doing?" Johanna says stroking his arm. Okay who let her next to my husband?

Awkwardly Peeta laughs and pulls his arm away.

"She's doing great." I but in, glaring at her.

She laughs. "Same old Katniss, jealous and hot headed."

"You haven't changed much either Johanna. Still pawing over things that aren't yours." I snap.

"Things?" Peeta says. "Last time I checked I was a person."

"You know what I meant." I say grabbing his arm and scooting close to him.

"Lady's stop it." Effie says trying to calm another tense situation.

"Effie these 2 are the least lady like here and this happens every year. They love to push each other's buttons." Seeder explains.

"You know we can hear you right?" Johanna asks switching her glare from me to Seeder.

"Yeah. That was a little harsh you know." I comment.

"It got you both to stop arguing. And next year we should not let Peeta sit between the 2 of you. It must be uncomfortable." Seeder laughs.

"You have no idea." He replies. I look at him and see the discomfort written all over his face and start to feel guilty. But then I look at Johanna and see the conniving smirk on her face and all guilt is gone, this is war.

POV of Slate

"So we can set up camp on the edge of the arena behind the village. We should be safe there. I saw a lot of trees back there so we'll have cover and the village will keep us supplied with food, water and other stuff we may need." I say.

"When I said I wanted to move I didn't mean corner ourselves." Eric says. I get why he's nervous. He isn't the strongest tribute in here by far, but he's lasted this long so he should feel a little more confident in himself. What happened to that cocky kid in the training center? He cornered me and made it so I had to make a quick decision without really thinking. Not that I had to think much about it. He was so confident and bold I knew siding with him and Riley for a while was the right choice. Now Riley is the only reason I'm staying, and well maybe pity.

"It's a move isn't it? Besides we don't want to abandon this sweet spot."

"Eric it's not a big deal. We'll be concealed and it's a lot more hidden than staying here." Riley says. Finally someone sees where I'm coming from.

Without anymore conversation we pack up our stuff and walk towards the back of the village. Silently we walked, but the tension between Eric and I was thick. He wants to be the big boss man and take control like he did in the training center, but has no idea how to react in real world situations. And then you have me, someone who has trained for this moment my whole life, even though I didn't like the thought of it. I get how to take charge and take care of people. That's been my entire existence for as long as I can remember.

I feel bad for Eric though. He is a kid that never had to worry about anything in life and has everything handed to him on a silver platter, but now he's alone with 2 people that will try to kill him, with very little food and no guaranty of getting more. There are no kooshy beds and duck feather blankets out here. Your only shelter is what you can make or find. It must be so different from the life he is used to.

It didn't take us very long to get to the back of the village.

"Want to just walk straight back?" Riley asks.

"I think that will be best." I reply.

"Then let's get going. Right now we're sitting ducks." Eric says. I look over to him and see a smile on his face. Finally he is lightening up.

"You heard the man. Let's go." I laugh and the 3 of us start to make our way through the trees. Riley steps in front of me and I catch a glimpse of her arm. "Riley your arm is starting to look really bad. You should wrap it up."

"I'll be fine." She says brushing off my concern. I can see infection starting to set in but I know that nothing I can say will get her to admit she needs help.

"If you're sure. Just keep an eye on it."

"Slate you worry too much." She laughs.

**Alliances.**

**Careers: Diamond, Titanium, Onyx, & Electra**

**Finn, Angel & Tess**

**Eric, Riley, & Slate (in arena)**

**Onyx & Slate (true alliance)**

**Rose & Elm**

**Scarlet & Crisis**

**Alone: Calla, Ricky & Iris **

**Deaths: (in order of death)**

**Faith (district 6) killed by Finn**

**Joseph (district 11) killed by Slate**

**Garnet (district 10) killed by Diamond**

**Gigot (district 3) killed by Onyx**

**Hazel (district 10) killed by Iris**

**Falon (district 6) killed by Iris **

**Carter (district 5) killed by Iris**

**Injured: **

**Riley – Gash in the back of the left arm from throwing knife. Starting to get infected.**

**Titanium – Small gash/bruise on the back of the head from club. Almost healed. **

**Diamond – Busted knuckles, bloody scalp.**

**Onyx – Black eye & split lip.**

**Crisis – Bruised ribs, torn up back and arms. Small cuts and bruises on ass and legs. **

**Arena – If there is a separate bullet that means they are in the same section but in a different spot**

**Mountains:**

**Crisis & Scarlet (in tunnels in "their" mountain)**

**Iris (edge of forest)**

**Forest:**

**Elm & Rose**

**Ricky**

**Tess, Angel & Finn (edge of lake)**

**Iris (edge of mountain range)**

**Lake:**

**Tess, Angel & Finn (edge of forest)**

**Marsh:**

**Field:**

**Calla **

**Slate, Eric & Riley (edge of village)**

**Village:**

**Slate, Eric & Riley (edge of field)**

**Hills:**


End file.
